


Red Sky

by driftingashes



Series: A Broken Bond Renewed [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: #anxceitcuddlerights2020, Amnesia, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Apocalypse, Attempted Murder, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Broken Bones, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Character Death, Character Death In Dream, Corruption, Crying, Emotional Repression, Emotional Roller Coaster, Exhaustion, Eye Trauma, Fear, Fear of Death, Flashbacks, Heterochromatic Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Heterochromatic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Heterochromatic Deceit | Janus Sanders, Heterochromia, Horror, Hyperventilating, Hypothermia, Identity Reveal, Lashing Out, Logic | Logan Sanders is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Magic, Magic Overuse, Magical Exhaustion, Memory Loss, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Non-Linear Narrative, Not Canon Compliant, Pain, Panic Attacks, Pre-Canon, Protective Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Protective Deceit | Janus Sanders, Sleep Paralysis, Strangulation, Swearing, Temporary Amnesia, The Imagination Room (Sanders Sides), Time Travel, Unbeta'd, Unconsciousness, Unreliable Narrator, Virgil & Janus Cuddle, Winged Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Winged Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Winged Deceit | Janus Sanders, Winged Sides (Sanders Sides), Wingfic, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:47:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 26
Words: 22,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22488898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/driftingashes/pseuds/driftingashes
Summary: Logan Sanders was many things. Logical, intelligent, observant, level-headed, straightforward, protective, passionate. Yes, Logan Sanders was many things. And a fool was not one of them.He'd seen the fear in Virgil's eyes when he'd whispered at him to lock his room.The storm was beginning.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders, Platonic LAMP/CALM
Series: A Broken Bond Renewed [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780021
Comments: 109
Kudos: 96





	1. Prologue: Prophecy (One Month Before)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vinegar_and_Garlic_Salt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinegar_and_Garlic_Salt/gifts).



> FOR THE LOVE ALL THINGS CHOCOLATE PLEASE READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS IN THE NOTES
> 
> Be ready for angst dumps, random updates, semi-short chapters out of nowhere followed by 2k chapters that I manage to pull out of my ass in less than 24 hours (which is infuriating btw) and the bare minimum of fluff according to how to be polite when throwing angst at people. Gotta mix in some happy with the shitstorm.  
> 

Logan Sanders was many things. Logical, intelligent, observant, level-headed, straightforward, protective, passionate. Yes, Logan Sanders was many things. And a fool was not one of them.

He'd seen the fear in Virgil's eyes when he'd whispered at him to lock his room. He'd seen how hesitant the youngest Side had been to let any of them out of his sight, how skittish he'd been about any of them being in a different room than each other. He'd seen how fast Virgil and Deceit had reacted when Patton had knocked over a pan in the kitchen, wild eyed like they expected Patton to have disappeared entirely.

He'd seen. And he knew to be afraid of whatever was coming. Knew the moment he woke up and found the entire mindscape in lockdown mode, the red emergency lights the only things illuminating the halls beyond the shadows of his room, that they stood little chance. But the storm raging beyond their borders was only just beginning.

And when Virgil turned to him, eyes frantic and body trembling, taut as a stretched wire, screaming for him to run, he didn't hesitate. He grabbed Remus' and Patton's hands and they took off together.

Logan glanced back once before the door slammed behind them, and caught a glimpse of Virgil and Deceit, back-to-back in the centre of the living room, crouched defensively.

_At dawn they rise with the sun._

_Blood will reign on the cursed day._

_Brothers will fall hand in hand._

_A broken bond renewed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count 235


	2. Chapter One: Three Months Before

_"Lolo!"_

_Logan glanced up instinctually at the familiar nickname. "You called?" he asked as the moral Side bounced into the room with a grinning Roman and startled looking Virgil in tow. Deceit trailed after them, looking slightly more inconvenienced and ruffled than he usually did._

_"I think we should have a movie night!" Patton cheered, bouncing up and down. Roman enthusiastically agreed, while Virgil shrunk back into his hoodie and Deceit just rolled his eyes, shuffled his feet, adjusting his hat. Patton beamed at them._

_Virgil mimed slitting his throat, locking eyes with Deceit, who rolled his eyes and nodded sympathetically. The bond between the two, Logan thought absently, was obviously stronger than either of them let on._

_Virgil shivered suddenly, and Deceit immediately wrapped his wings around the youngest Side almost protectively, eyes never leaving Patton's face. "Perhaps this could wait?" Deceit asked silkily, his tone making it clear that it wasn't a request. Logan noticed with a jolt that it didn't come out as a lie._

_Patton glanced back, brow furrowing when he noticed their positions. "Virge, kiddo? Are you okay?"_

_"He's been feeling unwell as of late, which you would know if you had bothered to listen to me earlier," Deceit snapped. "Now, if it's too much trouble, I would hate to be able to take Virgil back to his room." He slipped back into his usual lies on the final sentence._

_Patton looked horrified with himself, eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry! I got so excited about this that I completely forgot to even ask if you guys wanted to join us, and I never should have dragged you up here wthout your consent. I'm sor-"_

_"Patton," Deceit interjected. "You're forgiven. Maybe next time just remember to ask, yes?" He glanced at Virgil before continuing. "No harm done...Vee just needs rest."_

_Patton nodded frantically. "Do you need any tea? Or something? We have soup in the fridge!"_

_Deceit considered for a moment, then gestured at the anxious Side. "Up to him."_

_Virgil opened his eyes, lifting his head from Deceit's shoulder. His eyes were bright, glazed over. Logan wondered at not having noticed before exactly how ill he appeared. No one would look at Anxiety and think he was healthy. He could now only barely keep himself upright without Deceit's help. "Could I maybe have some soup?" he croaked. "Pat makes good soup."_

_Deceit chuckled. "He does, doesn't he?"_

_Virgil nodded blearily, legs going weak again as he leaned against Deceit. Deceit looked him up and down and ducked to scoop the younger Side into his arms. Virgil seemed to have nothing against the action, curling farther into the embrace._

_"Logan." Deceit's gentle voice snapped him out of his daze._

_"Yes?"_

_"You've been uncharacteristically quiet," Deceit commented. "Are you alright?"_

_"Never better," Logan answered distractedly, eyes still fixed on Virgil._

_Deceit curled over him almot protectively. "You're quiet, **and** you're staring. Something is obviously wrong. Spill."_

_Logan sighed. "I am…concerned," he admitted. When Deceit just raised an eyebrow at him, shifting a now-asleep Virgil in his arms, he continued reluctantly. "Patton has been acting oddly all day. He is fully aware of your distaste for movie nights before, and he has never before failed to notice when another Side is feeling…ill. His behaviour is cause for concern, and…the implications are.....unsettling."_

_Deceit had stiffened. "Tell Patton to leave the soup by the door, please. When he asks, tell him Virgil passed out and I brought him back to his own room."_

_Logan caught on immediately. "Of course."_

_Deceit glanced over his shoulder as he disappeared back into the dark mindscape. "Stay alive, if you would. I hate cleaning up after messy ordeals like murder." His tone was light, teasing, but the words were heavy with grief and fear._

_"As you wish."_

_"Logan."_

_"Yes?"_

_They locked eyes. "Stay safe. As soon as you can, get the twins and come find my room. It's not safe up here anymore."_

_Logan nodded sharply, and with a swish of his cape, Deceit vanished back into the shadows. Inhaling shakily, Logan turned to face Patton, who was just emerging from the doorway. "Everything alright, Lolo?"_

_Now that he was paying attention, he could see the cold glint in Patton's eyes, hear the edge to his otherwise calm voice. "Yes, of course. Virgil and Deceit have retreated back to the other mindscape, Virgil passed out and Deceit thought it best to return so he could lay down. He requested you leave the soup by the door, if you would."_

_"No problem, kiddo!" he chirped, setting the bowl down by the door and waving cheerily at Logan before bounding back into the kitchen._

_The moment Patton was out of sight, Logan was sprinting for the stairs. He threw open the red and green door, startling Roman and Remus, who froze mid-argument to stare at him. "Is Virge okay?" Roman asked. "Sorry for leaving, Remus and I-"_

_"We need to leave."_

_"What?"_

_Logan smiled grimly. "He's back."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not me taking forever and a half to update-


	3. Chapter Two: Three Months Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey V, this chapter is for you. Thank you so much for supporting me and giving me the confidence and inspiration to actually finish writing this and continue the story at all. You’re freaking amazing, my dude. I’m sorry it took all day, I know I told you I would have it out by today and I thought I’d be able to finish it by noon my time. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll be honest with you all - I didn’t edit this nearly as much as I should have. So if there are any major mistakes, please tell me. Drop a comment and let me know how you’re liking (or hating) this fic so far. :)
> 
> xx Asher

_Logan was still watching the door like he expected it to spring open any moment. Virgil stumbled to his feet and shakily made his way over, gently using Logan's shoulder to stabilize himself, trying to pass it off as a simple gesture of affection. "Logan, you need to rest. We're safe down here."_

_"We're not safe anywhere anymore," Logan muttered, eyes darting up to meet his gaze for a moment before snapping back to the door. “I can’t risk any of you getting hurt.”_

_Footsteps padded across the carpet behind him, and his eyes flashed over. Roman. ”We can fend for ourselves for a couple of hours,” the Light creative side interjected._

_”I’ll take the next watch,” Virgil offered._

_”Absolutely not,” Deceit snapped, moving up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder. He tried to shrug it off, but the other Side fixed him with a glare that had him resisting the urge to cower, shuffling his wings. “You’re sick and barely able to move across the room without help.”_

_Virgil rolled his eyes. “I’m perfectly capable of watching a door for danger,” he tried to argue, but his words slurred together as his head spun. He scowled at his body’s betrayal._

_Dee snorted. “Sure you are. Come on, back to bed.”_

_”I’m fine!”_

_Dee raided an eyebrow skeptically. “And yet you’re having to support yourself on Logan’s shoulder,” he countered._

_”If something happens it’s my job to-“ he started to argue._

_”Right now,” Dee cut in sharply, and Virgil flinched automatically. Deceit's tone softened. “Right now, your job is to rest and heal so you won't get knocked over by the next breeze that comes through.“_

_Virgil sighed, retracting his hand from Logan’s shoulder and allowing Dee to lead him back over to the bed. "Fine, but don't expect me to be happy about it."_

_The older Side chuckled. "I expected nothing less than a fight."_

_Virgil huffed, curling up on the bed and grabbing at Dee as he moved back. "Don't leave me, please."_

_Dee's lips twitched upward, a small smile just for him. "I'll stay, little stormcloud. You're safe. I'm right here."_

_Virgil relaxed immediately. "Thank you."_

_Dee crawled up beside him and pulled Virgil to his chest. "We're going to be okay, Veevee." He stroked his hair, and Virgil slowly settled in, eyes fluttering closed. It was warm...maybe just a couple minutes of rest wouldn't hurt him..._

_”Vee. Wake up. Vee.”_

_Virgil grumbled, batting a hand lazily at the air without opening his eyes._

_“Virgil!”_

_Virgil jolted awake, eyes snapping open. The darkness of the room took a moment to adjust to, and he squinted at the grey walls and yellow-accented sheets on the bed. Dee’s room, then. He turned his attention to Deceit. “What happened?”_

_Dee stood by the bedside, hands hovering in the air between them like he’d been about to pin him down by his shoulders. “Is everything okay?” he whispered, wincing at the croak in his voice._

_”Everything is...fine, Stormcloud. It’s just...you’ll want to be awake for this.”_

_Virgil stumbled to his feet, wincing at his headache returned full force. Dee caught him as he stumbled back against the bed. “Come on. Follow me.”_

_Virgil followed Dee back towards where the others were huddled in the corner of the room. As his anxiety rose like a wave in his chest, Virgil took note of the energy crackling along his palms and quickly clenched them, his sleeves slipping over his hands and hiding the evidence of his slip up._

_”What’s going on?” he asked again. This time, Dee didn’t answer, and Virgil glanced up at him. “Dee. Answer me, please. What happened?” he demanded, a little more forcefully._

_Dee sighed, stopping just before they reached Logan and the twins. “It’s Emile and Remy. The Imagination is collapsing. They’re trying to round up survivors as we speak, but it isn't looking very promising.”_

_”Why aren’t we helping them?”_

_”We’re going to, but we have to be careful!” Dee snapped. “You’re in no condition to leave. The twins are going to split up and get as many of the Figments out as they can before...well. Before.”_

_”How many are still alive?” Virgil asked, ignoring the jab at his health and the way his chest fluttered anxiously at the thought of how few survivor probably remained._

_Dee’s shoulders slumped, and Roman winced, eyes downcast. “Seven,” his brother answered hoarsely. “Maybe eight.”_

_Virgil paused, hands stilling where they’d moved to fiddle with his hoodie’s zipper nervously. “That few?”_

_Remus nodded solemnly. “If the Imagination isn’t able to hold up, it’s only a matter of time until Roman and I...are no loner able to hold our physical forms. And then whatever is causing the Imagination to collapse will have free reign of the Mind Palace.”_

_Virgil had never seen Remus so serious. “Okay, so...what do we do?”_

_”Evacuate everyone that we can,” Roman finally offered. “It’s all we can do at this stage. If we can get the remaining eight Figments out of the Imagination before it completely vanishes, they’ll be able to survive inside the Mindscape here.”_

_”What’s the plan, little brother?” Remus asked gently._

_Roman took a deep, shuddering breath before answering shakily. “We’ll have to round up some of the dragons. I’ll grab Remy and Emile. You’ll need to find October and the other Season Figments, if they’re still alive. Do we have any confirmed survivors identified?”_

_Remus cleared his throat. “Sleep, Dr. Picani, October, Emilia, September, Kai and Elliot.”_

_Roman glanced around at them before taking his brother’s hand. “We’ll be back. Don’t try to follow us...I don’t want to lose any of you.”_

_They sunk out together, hands clasped tightly, and just before they disappeared, Remus’s expression flickered, pain and guilt showing through just for a moment._

_Logan was the first to move. “We can’t stay here much longer if what Roman and Remus said is true. We’re much too close to the entrance for this room to remain intact after the Imagination is gone.”_

_”Where will we go?” Virgil demanded._

_Logan drummed his fingers on his leg, adjusting his glasses. Virgil tracked the movement. “We could stay in my room. I will have to block it off, however, which could potentially take quite some time” He paused, thinking again. “Patton’s room is out of the question with the current situation, and obviously we would be unable to stay in your room, Virgil.”_

_“So where do we go from here?” Deceit asked.“And who is Emilia?”_

_Virgil glanced at him, then gestured at Logan to explain. The logical side raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. Emilia is a dragon witch. She’ll be in a semi/human form when she emerges, but do try not to mention the scales.”_

_”Not a problem,” Virgil and Dee chorused._

_Logan stifled a grin by loudly clearing his throat. “Right, of course. I’m surprised that Roman didn't mention Kalama.”_

_”Who-“_

_”Kalama is another dragon witch. One of the original trio, in fact. I do hope she is alright, she was an outstanding debate partner.”  
_

_There was a flash of dark green light, and Remus tumbled through a portal, holding a halfway unconscious Remy and a near hysterical red haired girl._

_He handed the pair off to Logan and dove back through the portal, flashing a grin over his shoulder. “I’ll be right back!” Logan glanced after him, laying Remy down on a couch._

_They waited for a long moment, barely breathing. Another flash, this time red, but instead of Roman, Remus fell through again, hands shaking, dragging a half conscious girl behind him. Another followed directly behind, her silver eyes flashing with exhausted anger behind her curtain of dark hair. October and September rushed through side by side, wide-eyed and in shock._

_“Roman!” Remus screamed, turning for the portal with the girl still in his arms. “You idiot, come back! It's too late!”_

_The dark haired girl gently took the other girl from Remus, and he took the opportunity to try to run back through the portal. “You will not survive another trip,” she warned, grabbing his arm and yanking him back with surprising force._

_Remus snarled at her. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting him do anything stupid.”  
_

_The portal collapsed in on itself, sending out a shock wave of crimson energy that sent them all tumbling to the ground. Remus screamed._

_”Roman! No!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh that was a terrible ending I’m so sorry. I couldn’t think of a way to end it so I just threw something in and changed where the paragraph marker was.


	4. Chapter Three: Three Months Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We’re finally addressing Patton (?) and what happened to the Cartoon Therapy peeps last chapter. (Sorry Roman fans)
> 
> I’m just gonna dedicate this entire fic to V, because at this point, I’m gonna be perfectly honest: they're the only reason this didn’t stop two chapters in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for broken bones, blood mentions, panic attacks and self harm. The darker tags are there for a reason. The self harm is a bit lighter, a character repeatedly hits their head against a wall.
> 
> This is so inconsistent, it's literally like 1am. I wanna get this thing posted already.
> 
> The dragon sisters are kind of confusing, I just realized. I’ll just...stick this here.  
> Kalama - silver and green eyes, black hair  
> Emilia - gold eyes, dark hair  
> Adara - red hair, green eyes

_"Roman! No!"_

_Remus threw up a hand, a weak portal flickering into existence before him, the normally bright emerald energy barely more than a dim flutter. Logan grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him backwards, staring through the portal with a mixture of desperation and horror. The Imagination was gone, leaving nothing but a blank chasm in its place._

_Remus started to scream, thrashing against Logan's slackening grip, and he snapped back to attention, pulling Remus to his chest and gesturing to the others before sinking out._

_They all reappeared in his room, flushed and disoriented. Remus slumped in his arms, wailing brokenly. The pain in his voice brought tears to Logan's eyes, and he picked up the older Creative Side and carried him over to the bed, setting him gently down._

_Remus lurched forward and grabbed the front of Logan's polo in both hands. "Please don't leave me alone," he begged. "I can't be alone."_

_"You won't be. I'll be here when you wake up," Logan promised, slipping into the bed and sitting next to Remus, stroking his hair gently. Remus's eyes slid shut, tears slipping from under his lids even after he surrendered to his exhaustion._

_"You all need places to stay," Logan realized, directing his attention to the others. He waved his hand. "Choose wherever you wish, I'll find a place after Remus wakes up."_

_Murmuring their thanks, the Figments shuffled away, all of them too tired to attempt any kind of discussion about what had happened._

_Logan groaned, stretching out on the bed next to Remus. His thoughts flickered to Roman, and he winced. "Don't think about it," he whispered, turning into his side and closing his eyes._

_He ended up feigning sleep until light shine through the curtains, unable to push away the image of Roman's determined expression as he dove through the portal for the last time._

_September was standing over him when he opened his eyes again, the Figment shifting from foot to foot nervously before pointing silently at Remy, who was rhythmically pounding his head against the wall, tears spilling from his eyes as his hands fisted in his hair._

_Logan leapt up. "Remy." No response. "Remy?" Still nothing. "Remy, look at me, please. What happened?"_

_"Emile," Remy whispered, choking on his own tears. "He didn't make it through a portal in time. I was so close to getting him, he was almost through. Something pulled him back before he could get a grip. I had his hand, I should have been faster. Roman went back for Emile. If I had been able to-"_

_"There's nothing you could have done differently," Logan said firmly. "We're all doing our best. And...there might be a way, after this is all settled, to get the Figments back once the Imagination is restored."_

_Remy sniffled. "You have too much faith that this will end with us alive, babes," he said, chuckling weakly. "We could all be dead by tomorrow morning, and we can't trust anyone." He looked away, a clear dismissal, and Logan took the hint, getting to his feet, glancing at the others. Everyone except the sisters seemed to have migrated back into Logan's room._

_Virgil was still curled with Deceit on the couch, static playing across the muted TV screen. Logan frowned when he noticed a wisp of black energy curling out from under Virgil's sleeve. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, and Logan blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He was probably just still half asleep._

_“Where’s Remus?” he whispered to the nearest Sides, which happened to be the Season Figments._

_October glanced up. “Probably under the bed asleep. He hasn’t rested properly since...well, you know.”_

_Logan sighed, brushing his hair back. “I know. I’m so sorry. I…I know how much Roman meant to you all."_

_”Don’t apologize for something you can’t control, Logan.”_

_He looked away. "This not being my fault does not change the fact that I am sorry this ever happened, October."_

_October smiled. “Call me Toby.”_

_Emilia and Kalama emerged from the attached room. “Is everything alright?” the taller girl asked, her long hair pulled back messily away from her face._

_Toby snorted, rolling his eyes. ”Not as long as Patton has us under his thumb like this."_

_”It’s not Patton!” Logan snarled. Toby shrunk back from the venom in his voice, and Logan immediate regretted the words. "I apologize, that was uncalled for."_

_”Don't be sorry, you're right. This isn't Patton. As long as...you-know-who is allowed to wander about, nobody is safe and nothing is going back to normal until he’s gone.”_

_"We're not allowing him to do anything," Remus croaked from behind them._

_Logan turned, wincing at the raw scratches along Remus's arms. His eyes were red and puffy from crying and he looked exhausted. "We don't have a choice," he reminded him._

_"We do. We're just not taking the opportunity."_

_"There's nothing we can-"_

_"My brother is **DEAD** , Logan! What do you expect me to do, sit around and allow the thing responsible for his death run free? You know as well as I do that it's only because of Malice that any of this fucking happened in the first place! I'm not going to lay idly around and let Mal get away with hurting you all. I have lived in the dark for over twenty fucking years, Logan. I'm not about to let the shadows take any more of you from me than they already have."_

_"If we can…somehow force him back, then we can buy some time. Right?" Deceit asked, inching into the light. Virgil was a step behind him, their argument apparently forgotten, but there was a haunted look in his eyes that tugged at Logan's heart._

_Remus nodded. "A couple of months, if we're lucky. Days if we're not."_

_"What of the other Side? With the cookies?" Adara asked._

_"Morality will live. He is most likely hidden somewhere," Kalama answered quietly. All three sisters had managed to slip into their lopsided circle undetected._

_Remy was hovering behind them, his glasses propped on top of his head. "Pat will be fine," he said lowly. "Can't say the same for the rest of us."_

_"Emilia? Kalama?" Virgil asked, speaking up for the first time._

_"Yes?" they answered in unison._

_"Did Kai and Elliot get out with you?"_

_Kalama and Emilia exchanged glances. "I didn't see them, hon, I'm sorry."_

_Virgil shook his head quickly. "It's okay."_

_"They came through a portal of my own, right before Prince Roman…before his gateway collapsed," Adara whispered. "It was the last of my energy. I'm truly sorry. He was a good man."_

_Remus abruptly pushing himself away from the wall, shoved his way to the door and ran out, slamming the door behind him._

_Remy flinched. “Is there any way that the Figments who didn’t make it out with us are still alive?”_

_Kalama closed her eyes, spreading her palms. Her fingertips glowed for a moment, and her eyes opened. “No. I am sorry, but the Imagination is almost completely gone. The only parts left are the entrances, and those just lead to a void. Access was shut down by Prince Roman to ensure that no one could attempt to re-enter the space.”_

_”Oh.” Remy paused. “I have to go.”_

_Kalama watched him retreat, before turning to the others. “Did I misspeak?”_

_”He lost someone very close to him when the Imagination was destroyed.”_

_A familiar scream ripping through the air abruptly cut off whatever Kalama had been about to say, and Virgil was sprinting for the door before Deceit could hold him back. “Remus!”_

_”Son of a bitch,” Deceit hissed, tearing after him. “Virgil get back here! It's not safe out there!”_

_Then, distantly, ”Logan!”_

_“Emilia, Adara, Kalama,” Logan snapped, taking off with the girls right on his heels._

_”What happened?” Kalama demanded._

_Logan answered without breaking stride. “Remus has a rather bad habit of getting hurt, especially when he is plagued by his own thoughts. He's volatile and extremely emotionally unstable at times. I’d say he’s either broken something himself as he has done in the past, or he got tangled up with Malice, most likely still in Patton’s form. I hope for all our sakes he’s only done something to himself, and it's something we can fix.”_

_Remus's mace was laying by his side when the Sides came into view. Logan cursed quietly._

_Virgil was kneeling by the injured Side, who was slumped against the wall with Deceit hovering above them helplessly. Logan allowed himself a moment to wonder if Remus had always been that small._

_”What happened?” he asked, switching from concerned to clinical in a matter of seconds, calm facade washing over his features._

_”He...he broke his arm. It’s completely shattered.”_

_”Noted,” Logan hummed. “Don’t move him.”_

_”Can you heal him?” Adara asked._

_”Yes, but it will require a great deal of energy,” Logan admitted. “I cannot do this alone. Virgil, would you please go back and-“_

_”I’m helping,” Virgil interjected._

_Deceit yanked him back sharply. ”You’re still recovering! Using this much energy could kill you!”_

_”It’s my life or his!”_

_”A broken arm isn’t going to kill him!”_

_”The bone broke through the skin, and I can guarantee he’ll bleed out if we try to do this any other way.”_

_”I can assist,” Kalama offered._

_”I have to do this,” Virgil insisted, and Kalama bowed her head._

_”If you insist, your majesty.”_

_Virgil grimaced, though most of his attention was focused solely on Remus again. “Don’t call me that, please. It’s just Virgil.”_

_Kalama smirked. "Of course, my apologies."_

_"Logan, where are we starting?" Virgil demanded, the only indication of how nervous he was the slight tremor in his hands and voice._

_Logan shifted his weight, leaning forward to prod gently at Remus's exposed ankle. It was red, but not swollen. Immediate focus would be on his arm. "Definitely the arm. Ready?"_

_"Always."_

_Sucking in a breath, Logan placed one hand on Remus's arm next to Virgil's, the other coming to clasp Virgil's free hand tightly. Blue and purple mingled, swirling up Remus's broken arm. Virgil cringed as the shards began clicking back together, torn skin flowing together and knitting seamlessly._

_The moment the energy died, Virgil slumped to the side. Dee caught him instantly, eyes boring furiously into Logan's. "Shit...Vee!"_

_Deceit shoved him back when he tried to check the anxious side. "If he dies, I'll never forgive you," he threatened, cradling Virgil closer to him._

_Logan looked between the two unconscious Sides and buried his head in his hands. "Me neither."_

_They both carried Remus and Virgil back to Logan's room. Remus was already looking much better, color returning to his cheeks and eyes fluttering as he began to regain consciousness. Logan used a quick burst to heal tye ankle, a simple sprain, although Logan had no idea how he'd accomplished it._

_Virgil remained frighteningly motionless, hardly even breathing. "He's used too much energy on everyone else and not enough on himself," Dee growled._

_"Can we...use our energy to heal him?"_

_Deceit shook his head. "Unfortunately not. Healing a physical injury is one thing. Replacing energy and trying to help repair the mind... that's out of our range of abilities."_

_Logan shifted his weight, leaning forward and brushing Virgil's backs back, and Deceit glanced up at him, eyes softening. "This isn't your fault, Logan. Get some sleep. You need it."_

_"I already slept," Logan insisted flatly._

_Deceit 's gaze sharpened. "Logan, it's two in the morning and you barely slept half an hour when you brought us here originally. Get some sleep or I'll get Remy to make you."_

_Logan sighed, admitting defeat. "Wake me if...if he wakes up or something happens."_

_"Of course."_

_Logan woke to someone shaking his shoulder gently but insistently. "Lolo. Logan!"_

_He's recognize that nickname anywhere. "Patton...?" he asked blearily. "How long was I asleep? How are you here?"_

_"I don't know, I just thought about you and here I am. Listen, Malice is back. He's been using my form since...God, what day is it?"_

_"We have been here for two days," Logan supplied. "It's been at least three since he took over."_

_"Days?" Patton cried as quietly as he could. "Logan, I'm so sorry I haven't been back. He shoved me into a corner of the Mindscape and I only just found my way back. If...if he finds out that I got away, he's going to kill me for real this time. And Roman...I felt the shift. He's gone, isn't he?"_

_Logan looking away was all the confirmation Patton needed. "How's Remus taking it?" he asked._

_Logan huffed a humourless laugh, sitting up and wrapping a blanket around his shoulders. "Hard," he said truthfully. "He shattered every bone in his arm earlier with his own mace. Virgil is on the edge of a breakdown and I don't know what to do."_

_"Virgil is alive?" Patton breathed. "But..."_

_Logan sat up immediately, mindful of making as little noise as possible, shifting his weight forward to keep the mattress from creaking. "But what, Patton?"_

_"Malice told me that he was dead," Patton whimpered. "He showed me his sweater, and I...and.... Gosh, Lolo, there was so much blood and I didn't want to believe him but we can't survive that, therewastoomuchblood-"_

_Patton's breathing sped, and when Logan reached out to take his hand, his pulse was fluttering in his wrist so fast Logan could barely distinguish one beat from the next._

_"Patton. I need you to breathe with me, please. In for four...good. now hold four, five, six, and seven...now out for eight. Good. Okay, again. Four...seven...good...eight."_

_Patton let out his breath in a whoosh, eyes still squeezed shut. He laughed shakily. "Sorry."_

_Logan frowned at him. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Patton."_

_"I...I have to find a place to hide soon, I don't think the others will trust me with Mal parading around as me. But...can I see Virgil before I go? Please?"_

_"Yes. And...you can stay with us. You're safe here. Kalama enchanted the room, if you were Malice you wouldn't have gotten in. We're safe for the next couple of days. We just need a plan, and Remus thinks we'll be able to buy ourselves some time if we work together to force Malice back to the Subconscious as much as we can."_

_Patton glared at the ground. "Repression doesn't work, Logan. You know that."_

_"If we can't think of anything else, our only option will be to lock him away," Logan responded coolly._

_Patton hesitated, and Logan raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to see Virgil?" he prompted. Patton nodded wordlessly, brightening just a bit at the mention of his unofficial son._

_Logan gestured him into the other room. "I had to make a couple of side rooms since we have so many Figments and Characters, but we're making it work. The dragon sisters have their own room since they're, ah, female presenting. Remy and October are there. Remus is probably under the bed. Virgil and Deceit should be on the couch over there, by the TV," Logan fired off. "Oh, and Kai, Elliot and September are in another room through there."_

_Patton inched forward just enough to see Virgil curled on Deceit's lap. The lying side had an arm wrapped around Virgil's slender form, the hoodie swamping him and making him seem even smaller than he really was. He had his wings hidden, while Deceit's were on full display, draped over them like a blanket, twitching as he moved._

_Logan glanced at Patton suddenly. "Patton, where are your wings?"_

_The moral Side immediately shot him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, he didn't touch them." A flicker of his thoughts later, and Patton's light blue wings spread open, filling the rather small space instantly. "See?"_

_Logan relaxed. "Thank god."_

_Patton turned, taking his hand and leaning on his shoulder. "Can we sleep now, please? I've been on the run for the last couple days."_

_"Yes, of course." Logan gently tugged him over to a small door by the hallway. "We can go in here. It's a bit small, but we can keep you hidden until morning. They'll probably handle the situation better when they're fully awake rather than if they have to use the restroom in the middle of the night," Logan said, only half joking._

_Patton led the way into the room, snapping them both into pajamas and sliding under the covers, dragging Logan with him. Logan pulled him closer, wings coming out to arc over them protectively. Patton hummed contentedly._

_"Love you, Lolo."_

_Logan coughed, hoping it was dark enough that Patton couldn't see the obvious flush on his cheeks._

_Patton sighed, snuggling up against him and drifting off._

_Logan contemplated the side for a moment before closing his eyes and relaxing. There was something so horribly right about being able to hold him like that, to trust someone enough to be able to share such a moment, even platonically.._

_"I love you too, Patton."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Completely unsatisfied with how this turned out, but regardless, it's content. Enjoy 2.7k of my 2/3am bullshit. It's late. Send snacks. (This thing just more than doubled in length from one chapter wtf)
> 
> I will try my best to add in hints of a couple different ships, but Analogical is probably endgame here.
> 
> xx Asher


	5. Chapter Four: Three Months Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Returning readers: please see the updated additional and relationship tags. If it's a ship you don't approve of, or a tag might trigger you in any way, just stop reading. Don't leave hate or complain in the comments please. I’ll leave trigger warnings at the beginnings of chapters when needed.  
> xx Asher
> 
> TW: Broken bones (Remus’s arm is still broken), and Mal is just a dick. Cursing, a panic attack, strangulation, Malice is a dickwad and I hate him.
> 
> PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I MISSED ANY BIG TWs OR IF YOU THINK SOMETHING ELSE SHOULD HAVE A TW OR BE ADDED TO THE GENERAL TAGS!

_Morning came much faster than Logan hoped, and he grumbled, nudging Patton awake and pushing himself upright._

_"How much longer do we have to stay here?" Patton asked sleepily, his breath warm on Logan's ear as he sat up. "We can't hide away from Mal forever."_

_"No," Logan agreed grimly. "We cannot."_

_"LOGAN!"_

_Both Logan and Patton bolted upright at Deceit's shout. "Shit," Patton hissed, trying to untangle himself from the sheets._

_"Deceit?" Logan called. "Back here!" He sprinted to the door, unlocking it and wrenching it open._

_Deceit was gesturing frantically at the door that lead to the rest of the Mindscape. "It's Virgil...he and Remus. They...Logan, they're confronting Mal. Alone."_

_Behind him, Patton choked, and Deceit's eyes flashed over to him, immediately glazing over in panic. "Logan, get away from him."_

_"Wait, Deceit, I can explain!"_

_"Have you been working with him?"_

_"This is actually Patton!" Logan burst out. "It's really him. No tricks, no disguises."_

_Deceit glanced rapidly between Logan and Patton for a moment before narrowing his eyes and relaxing marginally. "I suppose Adara and Kalama have taken precautuons," he admitted. "And I would be able to tell if you lied about something that important."_

_Patton waved hesitantly. "Hi, Dee."_

_"Hello, Patton. You're not hurt, are you?" The Side's suspicion morphed into concern immediately, but Patton quickly shook his head before his opposite could begin to panic._

_"He didn't…have to." Patton admitted, twisting the sleeves of his hoodie around his wrists nervously. "He told me that Virgil was…"_

_He broke off with a sniffle, but Deceit's expression softened in understanding. "He told you Virgil was dead."_

_"I thought he **was**. It caught me off guard enough that Mal was able to take advantage of my hesitation and…lock me away. When I felt the mindscape shift, and I knew Roman was gone, I…I could feel your grief. And I knew I had to fight. I wasn't going to…I'm **not** going to let Mal win."_

_Deceit reached out and placed a hand on Patton's shoulder, face crumpling when Patton reached up to place his hand over Deceit's._

_Patton smiled fiercely through his tears. "What are we waiting for?" he demanded._

_" **Let's go get our boys back.** "_

_The mindscape outside of Logan’s room was deathly quiet, everything so still that it reminded Virgil of a tomb. He tugged at Remus’s sleeve as they crept into the living room. “Stay alert,” he muttered. “Mal could be anywhere.”_

_”With our luck, he already knows we’re here,” Remus grumbled back, trying to keep his mace steady with his good hand._

_”Just stay behind me. You’re here so that someone can get Logan if anything goes wrong. You're in no shape to-“_

_”It’s healing,” Remus snapped. “Give it ten more minutes.”_

_"If you say s-"_

_Remus slammed a hand over Virgil's mouth and dragged him backwards, catching him off guard. "There he is," Remus breathed, pressing them further back into the shadowy protection of the stairwell._

_Malice's head snapped in their direction. "Hello Virgie. It's been a while."_

_"Go to hell!" Virgil growled, shoving Remus behind him._

_Mal clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "You've forgotten your manners, living up here away from the shadows for so long. Tell me, Remus, how is your brother?"_

_Remus let out a screech that had Virgil’s hair standing on end, the lights flickering dully above them. "You son of a **bitch** , you know exactly what happened to him! Don't you **DARE** fucking stand there and pretend like everything is fucking fine when it's not! YOU FUCKING KILLED ROMAN, YOU SICK, COCKY BASTARD!"_

_Virgil grabbed his sash as he lunged at Malice with a snarl so guttural it made Virgil flinch away. “Not yet,” he hissed._

_Malice cocked his head. “Interesting. You came out here, alone, to try to confront me? All by yourselves?” He chuckled. “I must say, Virgie, I’m impressed.”_

_"Stay the hell away from us," Virgil warned as Mal took a single step towards them._

_Malice cackled. "Why Virgie..."_

_The lights went out, plunging them into darkness, and Virgil cried out as Remus was torn from his side. Malice's voice echoed. "I just want to **play**."_

_Virgil's breathing sped, and he sank to the ground, hands coming up to tug at his hair. Mel's presence was suffocating, pressing down on him. His chest constricted, and he gasped for air, tears streaming down his face as he struggled to inhale. "Please...please let us go," he begged, the iron band around his lungs tightening with every breath. His head spun from the lack of proper oxygen._

_Virgil yanked sharply on his hair, a ragged sob ripping through him as Malice's hands wrapped around his throat, slamming him against the wall and cutting off whatever air he had been managing to get._

_The darkness swirled up to meet him, and he sank gratefully into it._

_"What do you mean_ _gone?"_

_Logan sank back against the wall. "Patton…"_

_"Logan!"_

_Logan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as his head started aching dully. "I mean that he vanished. They both did. There's absolutely no sign of them. Anywhere. Wherever Malice took them, it's…beyond our reach."_

_Patton trembled, eyes filling with tears. "How do we get them back?"_

_Logan shook his head slowly. "I don't know if we can."_

_Kalama twirled her fingers through the air, huffing as sparks swirled through the air in lazy patterns. She didn't bother looking up when Logan approached her, merely snorting with amusement and gesturing for him to sit. "What do you wish to know, curious one?"_

_"Why did you call Virgil 'your majesty'?" Logan asked, sinking down beside her. Straight to the point, at least._

_"He is our ruler. Prince Roman and Prince Remus may have combined their magic to create us, but we owe our lives to Prince Virgil. When Prince Roman was unable to come to our aid, Prince Virgil saved us from the original collapse."_

_She smirked. She could tell Logan was frowning. "Yes, the Imagination has almost fallen before. Several times, actually. Prince Virgil was able to stop it both times. He was awarded rights inside the Imagination after the first incident. We pledged ourselves to him as we did to Prince Roman in the beginning."_

_"Incredible," Logan breathed. "Is that how he broke his wing?"_

_Kalama nodded. "Yes. Trying to help our brother from the ruins."_

_"Who is your brother?" Logan asked curiously. "If you don't mind me asking, of course."_

_"Not at all. Although I fear he has turned from our ways. You would know him as the snake."_

_"Deceit?" Logan demanded incredulously._

_"Janus, yes. He is no longer a dragon, though he wields our power."_

_"What happened?" Logan's voice had gone incredibly soft._

_Kalama shoved down her tears. "You mustn't confront him with this. He no longer remembers things as they used to be."_

_"I give you my word."_

_"Very well. He was killed in the original collapse, and was regenerated. You see, when a creature of the Imagination dies, we do not truly pass on. We shift to another forrm. My brother's happened to be a Shadowed Side. Well…more of a trait at this point, really.He replaced Self Preservation, became him. And we all remember the Split, of course."_

_"Vividly," Logan murmured, shuddering._

_"Our Host, Thomas, was beginning to categorize his creativity and curiosity. One part was what he had deemed acceptable based on societal norms and how his classmates and peers interacted. The other was…the part he found disturbing. The part he feared."_

_"So Remus became a...Shadow?"_

_"Shadowed Side," Kalama corrected. "Same as Paranoia. Although I suppose you'd call him Virgil now. He's changed so much. We're very proud of him."_

_Logan smiled, but his eyes were glassy and far away. "He's come a long way. I am...incredibly proud of his progress. Of...of him."_

_Kalama reached over and, hesitantly, placed her hand on Logan's cheek, cupping his face like she would a child. Logan closed his eyes, leaning into the touch._

_"Are they alive?"_

_Kalama sighed. "Remus, yes. Virgil...his light is so weak that I can barely detect it. I don't know if he has strength enough left to recover fully," she admitted._

_Logan muffled a sob in his elbow, and Kalama shifted her hand, rubbing soothing circles on his back. "There there, little star. I know you and Prince Virgil are close. We will get him and Prince Remus back. That I promise you."_

_Logan leaned into her side, and Kalama instinctively wrapped her arms around him, cradling him comfortingly. "It will be alright, little star. You are safe."_

_Kalama 's heart shattered at the broken sobs wrenching themselves from Logan's chest, but she stayed quiet, humming softly and carding a hand through his hair, rocking gently until he finally fell asleep._

_When she was sure he was asleep, she swiftly picked him up and carried him to his room, depositing him on the bed and tenderly pulling the covers over him._

_"Sleep well, little star."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I ever forget a TW, please just politely mention it and I will GLADLY add it to the summary/notes. Thanks! Wanna make sure everyone stays safe while reading.
> 
> xx Asher


	6. Chapter Five: Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I found part of the chapter and decided to post it. I still can't find the rest of it, which is pissing me off, but it is what it is I suppose.
> 
> So yeah this is short but I guess it's okay or whatever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: username change as of April 6th, my dad knows it and I refuse to think about what he'd do if he found my writing blogs.
> 
> Previously: BlackWolfFire

“Patton?”

Patton jerked up, eyes flying open. “I’m awake, sorry. I’m awake. Hey, kiddo.”

Virgil snorted. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” He reached out and pulled the moral side into his arms.

”Whoa!” He instinctively threw his arms around Virgil’s neck, hiding his face in the anxious side’s shoulder. Virgil chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest like a cat’s purr.

"You okay?"

"Mmhmm. You're warm." Patton snuggled closer, eyes drifting shut again.

"Rest, Patton. It's been a long day."

"Stay?" he mumbled, sleepily grabbing at the edge of Virgil's hoodie.

Virgil sighed, smoothing the hair away from Patton's face. "I need to talk to Ro, dad. I'll stay until you fall asleep."

"Mmkay. Th'nk 'ou. F'r st'y'ng."

Virgil hummed. "Anything for you, Pat. Sleep well."

He fell asleep to Virgil's soft singing, a hand carding gently through his hair.

Roman slowly sat up as Virgil threw himself onto the bed beside him. "What's up?"

"Nothing that concerns you, Jason Toddler."

Virgil gave him The Look, snorting. "Bullshit. I know what you look like when you're overthinking something. Besides, you've used that nickname before." He paused, seemingly considering his next words. "And I can feel your anxiety from Patton's room."

"Eesh. Sorry about that."

Virgil shook his head. "I'm more worried about what has you all worked up," he presses. "You don't have to tell me anything, but I'm here if you want to."

Roman sighed. On the one hand, he could tell Virgil what he had been worrying about...but he really didn't want to make Virgil even more paranoid, especially now that he'd finally seemed to calm down and allow himself to relax. On the other hand, lying would alert Deceit, and Roman had no doubt that he wouldn't hesitate to rat him out to Virgil.

And Deceit, if he bothered to pay enough attention, would definitely notice something else was amiss.

Shaking his head, Roman turned back to Virgil. "I don't...want to talk about it. If...if that's okay?"

Virgil nodded. "Sorry for pushing," he mumbled. "Just want everyone to be safe. I know the last week or so has been a lot for all of you."

"Well, for you too," Roman snorted. "You've been working yourself til you drop keeping a lookout. Maybe let someone else take a shift so you don't collapse in the hallway again? I don't think I've ever seen Patton more worried."

Virgil laughed. "Yeah, okay. Just because I don't want dad worrying."

Roman grinned. "How are you and Logan?"

Virgil blushed. "Everything is still pretty new," he said, pulling his hood up to hide his flushed ears. "He kissed me last night, though."

Roman whistled. "About time," he teased. Virgil stuck his tongue out at him. "Very mature."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Virgil got up, zipping up his hoodie and shivering. "I'm gonna go check on Remus."

"I'll come with you," Roman offered, getting to his feet.

Virgil nodded. "Cool."

Logan was sitting on the commons reading when they walked in. "Hey, Lo," Virgil greeted.

Logan shot him a soft smile. "Hello, Virgil."

"Good book?"

"Very. Not nearly as captivating as your eyes, however."

Virgil blushed, and Roman tamped down the wave of anger that rose in his chest as Virgil tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Virgil didn't deserve to be happy, not after he'd locked him away in the dar-but no, he was Roman, he reminded himself, shaking his head.

"Virgil." Roman called casually, leaning against the counter.

Virgil froze. "You never call me that."

Roman smirked, one eye flashing red. He was done with his charade anyways.

"Good catch, Virgie."

Virgil was instantly on his feet, shoving Logan behind him as the other Side made to move for the stairs. "Aww, how cute, protecting his little boyfriend like I couldn't break his neck like a twig with a snap of my fingers," Roman cooed.

Logan shuddered, hands going up to his neck. Virgil narrowed his eyes. "That's not possible."

Malice grinned. "Oh...oh, but Virgie, it _is_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count on this chapter is 669 lmao just had to point that out


	7. Chapter Six: Three Months Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan I am truly sorry
> 
> CEO of short chapters and random updates but I'm on a roll and it's only about midnight so fuck sleep I'm finishing this fanfic by May if it kills me.  
> [Edit: Make that June/July - some shit happened and I have no time for writing anymore.]
> 
> Also just realized this chapter is pointless because I posted shit in the wrong order and literally everyone knows that Roman isn't actually Roman so I guess I might as well give up now.

_Virgil was slumped against a wall by the time Logan finally found him, and he bolted for the prone figure. "Virgil? Are you alright?" His blood turned to ice in his veins when he reached out to shake Virgil awake and the younger Side's skin was cold to the touch. "Virgil…?"_

_Hands shaking, he gently maneuvered Virgil so that the Side was facing him, and he recoiled at the sight of Virgil's eyes staring back at him. Though he immediately let out a relieved huff as Virgil blinked sluggishly at him. "Lo...." he choked out. His chest rose and fell irregularly, rattling in his chest, and Logan's fear returned full force, freezing him from the inside out._

_Virgil's eyes fluttered, sliding closed. His chest stilled. Logan wheezed, a sudden icy terror closing up his throat. "No. No, no. Virgil. Keep your eyes on me. Please. Virgil. Virgil, please don't do this to me…" Not even a twitch. Logan shifted his hand to Virgil's neck, searching desperately for a pulse. He held his breath as he fumbled, praying for a miracle, but he felt nothing under his fingertips. "Fuck…no. No, I'm not losing you! Don't you dare do this to me, not right now, please!"_

_Footsteps behind him, and a sharp, shocked inhale. Logan couldn't find it in him to care. Then hands (Patton, it's Patton, and Patton meant safety, so he relaxed for a moment) wrapped around his arms, pulling him up and away from Virgil's body, and he lost it. "No!" he screamed. "No, let go of me, I-…Virgil! Virgil, wake up, please! VIRGIL YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME, PLEASE, NO!"_

_He thrashed in Patton's arms, screaming incoherently at the top of his lungs, words blending together until it was just a scream, a noise being wrenched from deep in his chest, releasing all the grief and anger and fear and pain trapped in his head. Patton was holding him flush against him, though, unrelenting. Logan could feel his tears dripping onto the back of his neck._

_Patton loosened his grip for a moment, gesturing at another Side, and Logan lashed out as hard as he could, throwing his elbow roughly into Patton's stomach. The moral side grunted, letting go instinctively, and Logan dropped to his knees, crawling back over to Virgil._

_"Virgil? Virgil, wake up, please. We...we found you. We can go home now. You...you have to wake up. Come on. P...Patton's here. We... you're safe now. Please. Virgil. **Virge**. Virge please. Please wake up. Virgil! Virgil, can you hear me? Virgil! **VIRGIL!** ”_

_"Remy, can you...?"_

_"Of course."_

_”Roman, could you keep everyone in Logan’s room, please? I...I don’t want Dee seeing this yet.” Patton’s voice cracked on the plea._

No, no, he didn't want to sleep! He had to...Virgil!

_The darkness that followed was eerily quiet, and Logan couldn't breathe._

**Virgil...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I hate mathsso much


	8. Chapter Seven: Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another short one because I like how this accidentally ended even though it was just going to be a break and a shift in POV. Sorry.

“How did you find us?” Virgil demanded shakily. “We were so careful, you couldn’t have-“

He shook his head. "No." Janus - when had he gotten there? - tucked him under his wing.

"It's okay," he whispered. "He's trying to get in your head."

Mal laughed. “Oh my darling, you really are so naive.” He waved a hand, and suddenly Roman was standing before them again, immaculate as ever, but his normally bright grin was now Malice’s cruel smirk. The clash of expressions made Virgil dizzy.

”But...where is Roman?” A thought struck him, and he dove at Malice with a snarl. Dee yanked him back by his hood, holding him back as he thrashed. “What did you do to him, you sick son of a bitch? Where is he?”

Malice chuckled, returning to his usual form again. “Why, Virgil, I thought it was obvious. You lost him months ago.”

Virgil paled. "He didn't survive. When the Imagination collapsed."

Malice clicked his tongue sympathetically. "Such a shame, really. I was almost starting to like him, but was simply too much of a nuisance. A threat to me getting a foothold here." He locked eyes with Virgil.

"And you're next."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 198


	9. Chapter Eight: Three Months Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vee, I would like to formally apologize for killing Virgil. But he's back now so it's okay. :) Uhm...kind of.
> 
> TW: graphic descriptions of a dead/rotting body, blood, body horror(just because of the way it's portrayed), nightmares, kinda sleep paralysis, screaming, (it'll be text in caps lock sentences to indicate yelling or louder speaking), crying, implied/mentioned/referenced past torture/physical abuse, broken ribs (CPR can be harsh)
> 
> lmk if i missed anything - this chapter was by far the most disturbing to write (and read, personally, and im a sucker for this shit) so please be careful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously need to get a beta reader, but I barely trust MYSELF when writing these, I don't want to get the wrong person and have them delete the document or something and I know that sounds super paranoid but it's happened so idrk
> 
> Also the irony of me needing a beta when I myself AM a beta is just...sksksk
> 
> I guess I just REALLY like torturing Logan because this chapter high key cranks the angst up to 100 and dumps some serious shit on him.

_"Virgil. Can you hear me? Virgil. Vir-oh thank god. He's coming around again."_

_The voice was hazy, drifting closer and then further away. "L..." He shuddered, suppressing a cough as it threatened to break through his throat. He was vaguely aware that he was choking on something, and suddenly there were hands lifting him up._

_”Easy there, Vee, you...you’re not fully healed yet.”_

_"What happened?" he asked. "Where's Remus?"_

_"Rest, Veevee. We'll explain everything later."_

_"When you are significantly more coherent," Logan interjected, but Virgil hardly heard him._

_He choked on a gasp at the painfully familiar voice. "Remus?" he wheezed, shooting upright. He hissed as a sharp pain lanced down his side, and he fell back against someone's chest._

_Arms wrapped around him, the scent of lavender washing over them, and Virgil vaguely recognized that it was Logan cradling him. He didn't have the energy to be embarrassed._

_"I'm here," Remus said, laughing nervously. "I managed to get out, but it was next to impossible to get enough energy back to find you all. Mal never noticed a thing.”_

_”You were dead....”_

_Remus blinked. "As far as I know, you were the one who died, Veevee. Not me. He...he made me watch." Remus's voice went hoarse, and he cleared his throat, looking away. "It was scary. I thought I was never gonna see you again. Like-" Like Roman. The thought went unfinished, but the name hung in the air between them anyway._

_"That's what Malice does," a new voice interjected. Patton? "He makes illusions of things you fear. Just to be..." He snapped his fingers. "What's the freaking word..."_

_"Malicious," Logan supplied quietly._

_"Malicious. Exactly,” Patton said. “Thank you.”_

_"Bastard lives up to his name, then," Remus growled._

_Grunting with the effort, Virgil carefully extracted himself from Logan's arms and teetered unsteadily to his feet. "What…" He squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of dizziness brought him stumbling to his knees. Logan was beside him instantly, pulling him up into his arms._

_"Careful," he scolded. "You are going to compromise your recovery."_

_Virgil huffed, opening his eyes as Logan settled them back on the couch. His gaze immediately landed on Patton, and he tried to smile reassuringly. "How long have you been back?"_

_The relief on Patton's face was immediate. "You believe that it's actually me."_

_Virgil frowned. "The witches enchanted the shit out of the place, so I certainly hope it's you. Besides, your aura, your…energy. It's different than Mal's is. Even when he's trying to impersonate someone else. Dunno how I missed it before." He yawned._

_"Sleep, Virge. We'll be waiting when you wake up, but you need to rest and heal," Deceit insisted._

_He was far too tired to argue, instantly curling against the back of the couch and falling asleep._

_He woke to Logan speaking in a low voice, as if to himself._

_"You were barely alive," he whispered. Virgil blinked up at him, startled to see tears gathering in his eyes. "When we found you. You were laying on the ground, covered in your own blood. You…you weren't breathing." Logan's voice broke. "I thought I had lost you. You were so pale that I didn't think it was possible you were still alive."_

_Logan glanced towards the doorway to the other bedrooms, tension coiling his muscles, as a clatter of pans broke his trance-like concentration, but he relaxed as a shout of laughter from Patton rang out immediately after. "The witches couldn't even feel your energy anymore, you were so weak. But…well. I guess you cannot hear me in your current state anyways, so I might as well tell you."_

_Virgil held his breath as Logan shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself in a surpisingly childlike manner. He looked more vulnerable than Virgil had ever seen him, and he hated it._

_"You were dead for over three minutes. You weren't breathing, I was unable to detect a heartbeat…nothing." Logan inhaled sharply, like he was trying not to cry. A quick glance under his eyelashes confirmed that Logan had turned away, his back to Virgil. He could see his shoulders shaking._

_"I have...never been more frightened of anything in my entire existence. I used to like to tell myself that I was better without feeling such pesky things as emotions. I suppose nearly losing someone so precious to me made me realize that caring about someone is...normal. Even for me. I..." Logan's voice broke, and he sobbed, curling in on himself. "I was terrified, Virgil. Terrified that I was never going to be able to see you smile or hear you laugh or have a debate with you again, or have a chance to hold your ha-"_

_Logan cut off again, a light blush tinting his cheeks. "Well...never mind. I suppose you would never see me like that."_

_Virgil stirred, making sure to rustle the blanket draped over him and alert Logan. "Hmm?" he groaned, blinking his eyes like he'd just woken up. Logan snapped to attention, hastily wiping at his eyes and trying to conceal the tear tracks running down his face._

_"You're awake."_

_"Don't sound so excited," Virgil teased lightly, but instantly regretted it as Logan's face crumpled. Virgil reached out and tugged him into a hug, running his hands soothingly through Logan's hair. "Hey, it's alright, everything's okay. You're safe. It's okay."_

_Logan chuckled wetly, burying his face in Virgil’s shoulder. “It’s not me I’m worried for, Virgil. I...are you alright?”_

_Virgil frowned, mentally scanning his body. “My back is still a little sore, but I think I’m okay. How long was I out?”_

_Logan stiffened. “A few days.”_

_”Days?” Virgil squeaked._

_Logan nodded against his shoulder. “Your magic was depleted and your energy was almost completely drained. The fact that you survived this is incredible.”_

_”I’m okay now. See? Still alive.”_

_Logan slipped up onto the couch, carefully weaving himself around Virgil and closing his eyes. “Yes. You're safe now.” He sounded like he was strying to reassure himself as much as he was Virgil. A feather light pressure brushed against the top of his head, and Virgil had to force himself not to jolt. Had Logan just kissed him?_

_"Rest," Logan hummed. Virgil could feel his soft exhalations ruffling his hair. "We can talk about what happened later. I want to know why the hell you thought that was a good idea."_

_Already too far gone to reply, Virgil curled in against Logan’s body and drifted back into oblivion._

_Logan opened his eyes to a forest. Cold rain was pouring down, and a quick glance confirmed that he was soaked to the bone._

_He squinted out into the mist, drawing back as a hooded figure emerged from the trees. “Hello?”_

_The figure became a bit more distinct, drawing closer: Virgil. In an instant, Logan jumped forward, forgetting that he was dreaming. But he drew back, eyes going wide, as Virgil’s head snapped up, his dark eyes locking onto Logan’s. “Hello, Logan.”_

_Logan let out a shriek. Virgil’s face was pale and expressionless, blood running from the corner of his mouth. Logan noticed with growing horror that there was a steady stream dripping from his blood-soaked jacket, turning the puddles at his feet red._

_”Virgil? What happened?” he asked._

_Virgil cackled, revealing cracked, bloodstained teeth. His tongue was mangled, a dripping red and black appendage falling limply over his teeth as his mouth gaped, jaw unhinging. Logan shuddered, stumbling back._

_”This is your fault, Logan. You didn’t come for me. I was waiting for you, you know. Where were you? I needed you! I trusted you to save me, and you weren’t there.” The words tumbled from Virgil's broken mouth, like a speaker was sitting in his throat playing whatever noises his voice box was still capable of producing._

_Logan was sobbing now, scrambling frantically away from the corpse. Virgil’s face was falling away right before Logan’s eyes, exposing bone and rotting clumps of flesh. His left eye had caved in on itself, sunken deep into the socket, but the other was still staring at Logan with horrible, enraged determination. The vessels were bulging, standing out against the white of his eye._

_”Virgil...I’m so sorry. I was looking for you, I promise I was! I wish I had been faster, I swear to you I did everything I could!”_

_"Not enough! I'm dead because of you, Logan! All because you were too slow and too stupid to figure out what was right in front of you! I TRUSTED YOU! WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME? HE WAS HURTING ME AND YOU DID NOTHING! HE CUT ME AND HURT ME AND I DIED BECAUSE OF YOUR INACTION! WHY DIDN'T YOU DO ANYTHING?"_

_Screeching furiously, Virgil leapt at him, and Logan flung himself backwards, slamming into something cold and stiff. Virgil disappeared in midair, and Logan let out a long, slow breath._

_Glancing down to see what he'd landed on, he shrieked at the sight of another Virgil laying on the ground, choking on the blood foaming around their lips. Gasping, Logan threw himself away again, landing heavily, wincing at the ache forming his tailbone._

_"Oh my stars...Vee, stay awake," he hissed frantically. "Keep your eyes on me, everything's going to be fine."_

_Virgil just gurgled, eyes locking onto Logan's._

_"Janus! Patton! Help! Someone help us, please! PLEASE, CAN ANYONE HEAR ME? WE NEED HELP, PLEASE, ANYONE!" Virgil's eyes rolled back in his head, body shuddering in a horrible convulsion, then fell limply to the ground. Logan didn't even hesitate before he lunged up and began CPR, wincing as Virgil's ribcage creaked in protest._

_Seconds felt like hours, and Logan forced himself to not throw up when one of Virgil's ribs finally broke under the strain. His hands and wrists ached, the muscles in his shoulders burning with effort._

_“Logan!"_

_Was that his imagination?_

_"Logan, you need to wake up! Logan!”_

_His eyes were open but he wasn't awake. Although Logan was staring right at him, he was still trapped in whatever dream he was having. His pupils were blown, black nearly swallowing the blue of his iris, but he wasn't moving an inch. Just gazing at the ceiling._

_His staring eyes were unnerving, but Virgil was no stranger to sleep paralysis._

_Logan's body jerked, and suddenly he was clawing at his throat, shrieking unintelligibly about getting something off of himself. Caught completely off guard, Virgil_ _could only hold him down as he flailed, helpless to try to wake him up._

_Logan’s struggling ceased suddenly, and Virgil slumped back against the couch, wincing as his ribs started to ache dully where Logan's elbow had slammed into him._

_”Virgil?” he croaked. His voice shook, shoulders heaving with broken sobs._

_It took a few moment for Virgil to remember his breathing pattern through his own manic, and another fifteen minutes before Logan was calm enough to even open his eyes. Virgil shook out his hands, resisting the odd urge to pull Logan into a hug right there on the floor. ”Are you okay?” Virgil tried to keep his voice steady, but it shook regardless._

_”I...I had a nightmare.” Even though he was calmer, Logan’s voice sounded absolutely wrecked. “I...I was in a forest, and it was raining. It was cold. But I...you appeared out of nowhere, and I thought that it was... **just** you. But...yo-“ Logan’s mouth snapped shut with a click, and he swallowed heavily, eyes darting around the room, skipping over Virgil’s face nervously._

_Virgil reached out and cupped Logan’s cheek gently. “You're safe. It wasn't real. We're both okay. Just breathe."_

_Logan sucked in a calmer breath. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."_

_Virgil's hand came down to brush against the bruise forming on his side. "You didn't hurt me, Logan, don't worry."_

_Logan's eyes flicked down, face scrunching when his gaze landed on Virgil's hand. "Liar."_

_Virgil grinned. "Nothing gets by you." Logan just glared at him weakly. "Okay, okay, fine. Yes, you hit me. But you didn't mean to. And I'm not going to, like, hold it against you or whatever. You were having a nightmare, and I get that. It's okay."_

_Logan squeezed his eyes shut. "Can...can I have a moment, please?"_

_Virgil backed away. "Sure."_

_Logan nodded, scrambling to his feet. "I'll be in the restroom."_

_Virgil stared at the doorway long after the other Side had left, unable to shake the sinking feeling that Logan was far from okay._

_Logan gripped the edge of the counter tightly enough that his knuckles turned white, the blood rushing out from the pressure. He cringed at the thought of blood, flashes of his dream still lingering behind his eyelids._

_"You're okay. Virgil is still alive," he whispered to himself. "Nothing happened. It was a dream."_

_Logan looked up, meeting his eyes in the mirror. "Everything is going to be okay. Just give it time."_

_He ran a hand through his hair, wincing as the action pulled at the muscles in his shoulders. They ached, as did his wrists and hands, the dull throbbing matching pace with his still racing heartbeat._

_A flash of red caught his eye, and he glanced sharply down at his hands; there was a patch of dried blood on his inner wrist, spreading down his palm and ending at the second joint of his pointer and middle fingers._

_His hands started shaking._

_No. No_ no **no** _. It was a dream. He was_ so sure _that it was just a dream! Virgil was alive. He'd just seen him, he was waiting in the other room. He was **alive**._

_Wasn't he?_

_Virgil bolted for the bathroom when Logan started screaming. The door was unlocked, and Virgil winced as it slammed against the wall._

_Logan was curled on the floor by the sink, shaking hands held up in front of him, horrified eyes fixed on his wrist. The screaming had died down to terrified whimpers that tore at Virgil's heart._

_He inched forward. "Logan? Can you hear me? It's Virgil."_

_"Virgil is dead," Logan whispered. He'd screamed his throat raw, and the words came out in a scratchy croak._

_"Logan. Sweetheart. Look at me, please."_

_Slowly, Logan's dark eyes flicked up to meet Virgil's. He smiled. "Hey, there."_

_Logan swallowed convulsively. "Hello."_

_"I promise that I am alive." Logan's face twisted in disbelief and an agony so raw that it hurt Virgil just to look at._

_Making up his mind, he stuck a pinky out. "Pinky promise."_

_Logan considered for half a moment, then linked his finger with Virgil's, eyes locked on their joined pinkies. "Okay," he whispered._

_Virgil smiled, reaching out to gently wipe a tear from Logan's cheek._

_"Okay," he agreed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha I hate this please take my trash
> 
> also uhm I typed and edited from my shitty iphone so the autocorrect went batshit and I might not have caught everything when I went back over it from my mother's equally shitty computer. (I need to just crack down and buy my own mcfreaking laptop holy mother of pearl)
> 
> edit: i now have a computer of my own :D


	10. Intermission: Bonus Fluff for V!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's short because I can't write fluff for shit. Sorry, I really did try to make it as long as I possibly could to give you guys a bit of a breather. Goodness knows we all need it after the previous chapter, oh my stars.
> 
> This is literally just random little snippets of the boys cuddling/hugging/being adorable in general! Because V (for which this fic is being continued - they're amazing) is weak for anxceit snuggles, by their own admission, and I have made it my goal in this fic to give them as much fluff as I can cram into the spaces between the angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caution: Virgil  
> Curiosity: Logan  
> Creativity: Roman  
> Integrity: Patton  
> Self Preservation: Deceit  
> Chaos: Remus
> 
> These scenes predate this entire fic, including the flashback chapters. In fact, some of these are going to feature the Sides as kids just chilling and snuggling.
> 
> I felt like we needed some fluff and then V had to go and inspire me, so I’m writing this now, lol. Enjoy!!

"Caution! Over here!”

Caution’s head snapped up. “Creativity?”

”Nope, just Integrity!” the other Side chirped as he stumbled into the field. “I thought you might be here. Curiosity and Creativity are watching a movie, and we want you to join us!”

Caution cocked his head. “Can I bring Self Preservation and Chaos?”

”Sure!”

Caution grinned. “Great. We’ll be there in a minute, thank you.”

Integrity smiled brightly, opening his arms in silent invitation. Caution stepped into the embrace, closing his eyes and leaning against the taller Side’s chest.

Although outside in the real world, their appearances mirrored Thomas, they were quite different while inside.

Caution was the shortest, dark hair tinted purple, and bangs sweeping over his face. He was also physically the youngest, having appeared when Thomas was eight and had almost tripped over a cord plugged into the wall where his mother had started to vacuum.

At thirteen years old (or at least that's how old Thomas was) Caution was now taller than he had been, but much shorter than anyone else, which was infuriating for multiple reasons.

.....Although he had to admit it was nice being held like this.

Snapping out of it, Caution pulled away and grinned at Integrity. "I'll get Pres and Chaos."

Integrity beamed at him. "Perfect! See you in the living room, then."

He bounded off, leaving Caution to stare after him, a dopey grin plastered across his face.

Self Preservation teased him relentlessly for _weeks_.

The first time Patton walked in on Deception and Virgil, he very nearly woke them up, but slapped a hand over his mouth last minute to muffle his surprised squeal. They were just so cute, Virgil slumped over Deceit's lap, their wings splayed limply behind them. Asleep, both Sides looked so much younger. Virgil didn't look nearly as stressed, Patton noticed gleefully.

He dug his phone out of his pocket, intent on getting just _one_ photo before he went and got the cookies out of the oven.

Suffice to say, twenty minutes later, Patton had no space left on his phone, two dozen burnt cookies, and absolutely no regrets.

Logan didn't....hug. At all. Maybe a very small congratulatory pat on the back for Roman after a performance, or a hand on Patton's shoulder in an attempt at comfort after a breakup, but...not a hug. Never a hug.

Patton guessed Virgil just...brought out the best in everyone. Even Logan. He wasn't even jealous that Logan hugged someone else first, he was too caught up in the shock and amazement that _Logan Sanders was hugging someone_. In fact, he wasn't even jealous _later_ when his brain started working again. Because if any of them needed a hug, it was definitely Virgil.

Patton was just so dang proud of his kiddos.

Fact: Deception (Deceit) was cold blooded.

Fact: he cuddled against Virgil when he got too cold because Virgil was the warmest Side in the entire Mindscape.

Fact: Logan smiled the first time he saw them cuddled up on the couch under a blanket.

 ~~Fact~~ Falsehood: Logan thought Virgil was adorable when he was sleeping.

(Okay, so maybe it was a little bit true. It was probably creepy to say out loud, though.)

Deceit glanced up at a tap on his doorframe, smiling when he saw Virgil standing there, hair tousled and blanket wrapped clumsily around his shoulders.

"Need a nap, my little stormcloud?"

Virgil hummed sleepily, shuffling into Deceit's room and making grabby hands at him. Smiling, Deceit slipped his hat and cape off and guiding Virgil onto his bed. "Sleep, little storm cloud. I'll keep you safe."

They both woke better rested than either had been in a long time.

Janus found out by accident how much he automatically shielded Virgil with his wings. It was an ingrained response to anything that rang even the faintest alarm bell in the back of his mind, rising up at any even _slight_ indication of danger.

It was Logan who commented on it, after Remus had thrown a tennis ball through a window by accident. He'd been aiming for Roman, who had obliviously ducked to pick something up - it was pure chance that the ball missed him and instead sailed into (and through) the window.

Logan, who had been reading up until the tennis ball incident occured, glanced over at him and casually asked him why he always "did that."

Janus frowned. "Why do I do what?"

Logan didn't look up from his book. "You use your wings to shelter Virgil constantly. I was under the impression that Virgil is perfectly capable of protecting himself. Is there a specific reason for your behaviour?"

Janus glanced up, brow furrowing when he saw his wings had unfurled of their own volition, arching up and over them like an umbrella. "Oh," he said quietly.

Logan blinked at him. "Were you unaware of your own actions?"

"I...I suppose I was."

Virgil squinted up at them sleepily, obviously a bit disgruntled at having been woken up in such a manner. "It's because he's a mom. It's a parent instinct to protect who they view as their kids," he answered, yawning.

Janus smoothed back Virgil's hair gently, and Virgil leaned into the touch, a soft rumble building in his throat. "That must be it, then," he said, waving a hand at Logan. "There's your answer, specs."

Logan smiled knowingly, and opened his novel again. "Good luck controlling your kids," he said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Janus cursed under his breath; Remus was nowhere to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They found Remus three hours later laying on the bathroom floor covered in flour.
> 
> Word count: 924
> 
> So. I almost hit 1k words with the fluff here. That's longer than some of the actual chapters of this fic. I call that a win.


	11. Chapter Nine: Unknown Timeline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick explanation: Virgil (Caution) looks younger and is physically smaller than the other Sides because, in his pre-teen and early teen years, Thomas's anxiety wasn't fully developed. He didn't HAVE anxiety yet in a traditional sense. Therefore, Caution instead of Anxiety.
> 
> The Sides all appear to be various ages based on their rate of development and maturity.

There was a large willow tree in the center of the Imagination that never seemed to grow weaker. Only taller and stronger. Its curving branches were the perfect hideaway from the world when everything got to be A Little Too Much for Caution. He was sitting at the base when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Hello."

The unfamiliar drawl startled him; he had been expecting Creativity or Integrity. "Hello?" he squeaked, whirling around. The Side towering over him was taller than even Curiosity, with a grey sweater and dark jeans, wings burning red in the sunlight. His eyes glinted coldly, piercing gaze pinning Caution in place. "Who....who are you?" he finally asked.

The tall Side smirked. "You can call me Anger."

 _Anger._ Caution had heard that Traitname before. Self Preservation had warned him to stay away. It must have shown on his face, because Anger sat down on the ground a few feet from him, sighing. "I suppose they've told you to stay away from me, then?"

"Jan says you're not very nice," Virgil admitted quietly, eyes downcast.

Anger moved closer, just just a little. "And you believed him without even knowing me? Surely you know better than that. You can have your own opinions on such things, Caution." He paused. “That is still your Traitname, correct?”

"H-how do you know who I am?"

Anger smirked. “I was there when you Manifested."

Caution’s eyes went big. ”Really?”

Anger nodded. “Yes. You’re a lot taller now than I remember you.” He reached out to gently run his fingers through Caution’s hair. He leaned into the affectionate touch, eyes closing, chest rumbling. A chuckle from Anger. “You still purr.”

 _”Caution!”_ Self Preservation's faint voice broke their quiet moment.

Caution’s head whipped up. “I gotta go. Mom needs me.”

“Your mother, hmm? I didn’t think there were any more female identifying entities left in the Mindscape.”

Caution frowned. “Mom isn't a _girl_ ,” he said, confused. “Gender-specific terms are stupid.”

Anger nodded sagely. “I see.”

"Caution!" Self Preservation tore around the trunk of the tree, letting out a furious screech when he saw them. “Get the hell away from him!”

“So you’re going as ‘mom’ now, I hear?” Anger asked cheerily. Self Preservation hissed furiously, the sound warping dangerously, and Caution whimpered. _Now_ Pres was mad. Anger seemed to come to the same conclusion, his body trembling ever so slightly. He backed away, hands held in the airin a gesture that was probably supposed to be placating. “I wouldn’t harm a _child_ , Janus, be reasonable.”

”Give me one good reason why I should trust you on that?”

”He didn’t do anything, mom,” Caution insisted. “He didn’t!”

Self Preservation and Anger locked eyes, and Anger's entire demeanor changed instantaneously, eyes going cold and back stiffening. Self Preservation's body tensed like a coiled snake.

"Caution. Get behind me. Now."

Caution scrambled to obey, looking at Anger with a mixture of fear and awe. "Mom…? Mom, what's-"

"It's alright, Caution," Janus rumbled, reaching back to squeeze his shoulder. "Just a little misunderstanding. Isn't that right, _Aiden_?”

Anger smiled, though it looked like more of a grimace. “Of course. Just a little bit of a misunderstanding is all.” His smile had turned calculated. Predatory. Janus's wings exploded into existence, snapping out to form a wall behind him. He flapped them experimentally, just twice, before taking a step forward.

”Go.”

Aiden’s light red wings fluttered, and he took a hasty step backwards. “As you wish.”

”And stay the hell away from my kid,” Janus snarled after him. As soon as Anger (Aiden?) was out of sight, Janus turned to Virgil with a little snarl. “What have ai told you about him?”

”I was being careful!” Caution protested immediately. “Besides, he said I should form my own opinions about people, and I think he was nice!”

Janus took a long, slow breath and turned away, his grey wings trembling. “Caution you don’t understand what he’s capable of.”

”I can take care of myself!” Caution huffed, turning to climb into the tree. In a heartbeat, Janus had swept his legs out from under him, pinning him to the ground. With his teeth bared, eyes glowing and fingers digging harshly into Caution’s shoulders, he’d never looked more terrifying.

”Try again, little stormcloud.”

Caution’s breathing hitched, squeezing his eyes shut. “I-I-“ He tensed when Janus shifted above him, clenching his jaw and waiting for the inevitable blow.

Self Preservation pulled back abruptly, sucking in a sharp breath. “Caution, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

His voice was fading in and out like a radio, fading into the background and then abruptly returning, much too loud, drilling harshly into his skull. Caution scrambled backwards, slamming his hands over his ears.

"Caution..." Self Preservation's voice was pained. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't attacking you, I promise. Please look at me. I'm so sorry."

"No, 's'kay," Caution whispered. "'m okay."

Self Preservation let out his breath in a whoosh, leaning back. "You understand, right?" he asked, expression pleading. "He's dangerous, Caution. I've known him for as long as he's existed here, and he would see us all burn if he had the power."

Caution nodded hesitantly. "Okay."

Janus smiled. "Thank you."

Caution shrugged, huddling into the other Side's embrace. "Who's Janus?"

Self Preservation stiffened. "That's me. My name."

Caution shot up. "You have a Name?"

Janus nodded, and Caution's eyes lit up. "Wow! That's so cool!"

Janus relaxed warily. "You think so?"

Caution frowned. "Why would I lie? I think Janus is a cool name. Sounds like a hero in a fairy tale!"

Janus ruffled Caution's hair affectionately, smile softening his harsh edges. "Thank you, little stormcloud."

As Janus led him back out of the Imagination, Caution couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder and wonder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Avdima (Anger’s name) is an Aramaic name meaning "destruction” or “loss." I thought it fit well with what I have planned for the character. V is going to _hate_ me and I regret nothing.


	12. Chapter Ten: Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's note is literally just me venting because ppl on Insta were being jerks and ya girl needed to get some shit off their chest. Feel free to skip, there's no actual message in there that’ll be vital to the fic. Spoilers for the newest ep though!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I got shit on Insta for this I'll reiterate here: I WASN'T TRYING TO HATE ON THE EPISODE. I loved the new Sanders Sides ep, I really did. And!!! And and!! Me venting about how Roman laughing at Deceit's name was a trigger for me just because of the bullying factor involved was IN NO WAY me trying to justify what Deceit said after.
> 
> In fact, even though I think I might have sort of noticed in the moment, I didn't even remember what Deceit had sniped back with until I finished the episode around 3 o'clock (the day after it aired) because I couldn't finish the episode when I originally started it. It was a super low blow for Deceit to compare Roman to Remus, especially after everything Roman's done to try to distance himself from his brother's behaviours and try to be a different person and rise above the level he thinks his brother has fallen to.
> 
> BUT I STILL LOVE THEM ALL. I don't hate Patton or Deceit or heck I don't even hate Roman after all of that. I won't lie and say I'm not a bit mad at his character for being so rude and having such an unsympathetic reaction to a name reveal, but that in no way means I now hate Roman/the SS series. 
> 
> Also another thing: in defense of both Roman AND Janus: Roman reacted badly, yes, but he was also firmly convinced that Janus was there to hurt him and his friends and Thomas. Think about it! Janus emotionally manipulated him the last couple videos to try to get Roman on his side, using Roman's interests in his favour to try to sway him one way or the other. That HURTS when you think about it. Yes, Janus did it because he just wanted someone to listen to him, but there are better ways.
> 
> And!! Janus's backhanded comment comparing the twins was a low blow, I absolutely agree on that, but he did it because he was scared and hurt and maybe even a little confused. It was a huge show of courage and vulnerability for him to reveal his name at the time and in the situation that he did, and Roman laughing was probably the worst reaction he could have had. And so he lashed out in anger and pain and now they're all going to have to deal with the aftershocks of that.
> 
> Anyways, sorry for that. Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Patton had once said that fusing was kind of like holding hands. _"You’re still separate people, but connected in a way you weren’t, couldn’t have been, wen you weren’t holding hands. There's a bond, a deeper level of trust and understanding between you both. And you’ve breached a gap that might have prevented you from holding hands (fusing) before,” he had explained. “It works in a way it wasn’t able to previously.”_

Logan dropped his pen, choking on his coffee and spluttering. _Gods please no. Let me be wrong, **please**._ He rushed to his desk, ignoring Virgil's worried glance, digging through the stack of papers littering the surface.

As he shifted a pile of books, a small piece of parchment fluttered to the ground, and Logan snatched it up, squinting at the small font adorning the paper. He felt the blood drain from his face as he read. "No."

"Lolo? What happened?" Patton was there, Virgil behind him, both peering at him curiously (and nervously, on Virgil's end) from afar. "Is something wrong?"

Logan held up the paper with shaking hands and cleared his throat. “ _At dawn they rise with the sun. Blood will reign on the cursed day. Brothers will fall hand in hand, a broken bond renewed._ As much as I hate to be the one to point this out...Roman is dead. This...” Logan shook the paper. “It won’t happen, right? There’s no way it would.”

Patton was frowning, eyebrows pushed togehter. Virgil's expression had dropped, and Logan could see his wings trembling as the words sank in. "That's the prophecy," Virgil whispered. "I remember now. Oh gods, what if-?"

"No," Logan interjected shakily. "No, we can't let it happen. He can't...we can't let him..." The words felt big and clumsy, like they were too big for his mouth, but Virgil understood anyways.

"I know," he whispered. "We're gonna be okay, Lo. Remus is not going to die. I promise you that. Swear on my own life." His expression contorted into something much more serious and intense. "Swear on _**Thomas's**_ life."

Even Patton froze in shock at that. Virgil didn't promise anything on Thomas unless he meant it 100%. There was no going back, at least not in Virgil's mind, not anymore.

”Virge...”

”I’ll keep you all safe,” Virgil rumbled.

Logan shook his head. “You have to stay safe as well, Virgil.”

Virgil’s eyes jumped over to meet Logan’s, and the logical side couldn’t help but draw back when he saw that Virgil’s eyes had suddenly changed - instead of the usual brown, one was a swirling purple. The other was swallowed entirely by his pupil, the black seeping into the veins around his eye in a horrifying pattern. The energy snapping across his hands had changed as well, black and grey instead of the purple Virgil knew so well.

Dimly, Logan heard Remus walk into the room behind them, letting out a choked gasp when he saw Virgil.

”Oh _**fuck**_....”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is...good enough for now, I suppose. Sorry to spam post again right as you come back, V! Hope its worth the read, lol.
> 
> ALSO SINCE IT WASN’T ACTUALLY EXPLICITLY MENTIONED: MAL LEFT AFTER THREATENING VIRGIL. SO. I DIDN’T JUST FORGET TO WRITE HIM IN AT THE BEGINNING AND THEN CHANGE EVERYTHING TO FIX.
> 
> I can see how people might have thought that, though, lol, it’s something I’ve done in the past. But this was intentional.
> 
> xx Asher


	13. Chapter Eleven: Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone please call me out on the references to other fandoms I made p l e a s e I wanna see if anyone notices my fangirl shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so...I updated the tags again so please check those. Uh....shit happens. I think we might be approaching the end of the “present” chapters, but...hey, who knows.

"Virgil…?"

The Side turned to look at him, and Remus felt his blood run cold. Virgil's eyes had changed, one purple and the other a swirling pit, like his pupil had swallowed everything else. "What's happening?" Patton whimpered.

Remus took a deep breath. "His magic. It has the power to corrupt. Using it too much has…some severe negative backlash."

"His energy is purple," Logan said slowly, almost like he was trying to negate what was right in front of him. "Not…not grey and black." He backed up a step when Virgil looked around. An instinctive fear, but one the logical Side would most likely regret later.

Remus scoffed without turning to face him. "But you don't really believe that, do you? You're smart, Logan. You've seen little flashes of it. Just a little at a time. Perhaps brushing it off as a trick of the light when you blink and it's gone. He's been struggling against it his entire life."

"What's the difference between the energies, then?" Logan asked quietly.

"Purple can heal or destroy, do both good and evil. The grey is kind of an in between to balance it out. Black energy…it can only destroy. He got really good really fast at controlling it after he accidentally lashed out and hurt Dee when we were fifteen."

"Deceit didn't manifest in the mindscape until Thomas was seventeen," Logan answered distantly.

Adara spoke up at last, her voice sharp and cold. "You aren't supposed to know that, curious one. None of you are supposed to know that."

Logan glanced over. "I connected the metaphorical dots."

"You didn't connect shit," Remus scoffed.

"I connected them. It actually was quite easy to piece together after Kalama told me he was once a Dragon. The original Imagination collapse, which isn't officially counted as one, happened directly following the Divide - or the Split, whichever term you prefer - where Creativity and Chaos became separate functions. Thomas was much too young to have had that cause any lasting damage, thus why Caution was able to stop the collapse.”

”Then later when Thoma was seventeen, the Imagination collapsed for the first time completely. There was a single casualty, yet no one knows who it was, a fact that haunts Remus even now. Our memories of Deceit before the Collapse are hazy at best, but after? Crystal clear. I am not one to easily forget such things."

”Yes, _do_ keep talking about me like I’m not in the room, I _adore_ it when you do that, Logan.”

"As much as I'm enjoying the current topic, we have bigger problems," Remus hissed. "Virgil could attack any one of us at any second. Once he's unconscious you can theorize about Dee all you want. For now, focus on the important shit."

Logan snapped back to attention. "Right, of course."

Virgil had drawn away. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. “I’m the one in control this time.” He sounded like he was trying to be as gentle as possible, but his twisted, warped voice echoed in Logan’s ears, a deep chill settling into his bones. He shuddered, instinctively slamming his hands over his ears, wincing.

Virgil looked horrified. “Sorry,” he whispered. He turned to look Deceit in the eye, smiling. “Take care of them for me, would you?”

”Look after them yourself,” he snapped back. “Don’t talk like you’re not gonna come back.”

Virgil smiled sadly. “I can’t promise that I will.” He glanced over his shoulder at the door. “I promise this will be over soon, though.”

”Virgil....”

”Dee...do you trust me?”

”What?”

Virgil smiled. _“Do you trust me?”_

“I-...of course I trust you! What kind of a question is that?”

”Then trust me when I say that this ends today. Don’t leave this room, no matter what happens next. Promise me.”

”Virgil-“

” **Janus**.”

”...I promise.”

”Thank you.”

With that, Virgil slipped out of the room, the door shutting behind him with a terrible air of finality, the click of the bar sliding into place deadening in the sudden silence.

Patton was the first to break it. ”What the _hell_ just happened?”

Deceit let out a breathy laugh, the sound bordering on hysterical. “Oh, trust me, Patton. You don’t want to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 706


	14. Chapter Twelve: Two Months Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time skip and I glossed right over how they got Mal contained because THAT is a story for a later chapter. Enjoy this for now, it’s a short one.

_“Virgil?”_

_Virgil hummed, leaning against his palm. “Yeah?”_

_”Did we do enough...?”_

_Virgil sat up, rubbing his eyes. “What do you mean? Do you think we didn’t?”_

_Logan shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. I just feel...extremely uneasy. What we did to Mal likely won’t hold for long. We’ll have to face him again, someday, with the knowledge of what we did to him.”_

_Virgil reached out, cupping Logan’s face tenderly. Logan closed his eyes, leaning into the touch._ _”Then I’ll keep you safe when that happens. Okay?”_

_Logan just hummed, already drifting off. Virgil smiled, pulling Logan’s pliant body closer and curling around him._

_“We’ll be okay, Lo. Don’t worry about a thing.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 113
> 
> lmao these keep getting shorter I am so sorry I'm doing my best I promise


	15. Chapter Thirteen: One Month Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're finally getting somewhere, look at that! Mal is hauling his bxtch a$s back to the mindscape to do evil and wreak havoc, so I thought I’d start here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that nothing really happened up until the final month before the “present” chapters, because that’s when Mal’s presence starts to return. Soooo, everything we skipped over is just the Sides being cuties. If you want some of the deleted scenes, I’d be happy to post those as another little fluffy intermission for your enjoyment! I have them saved in a doc on my Google Drive.

_It was coffee that saved them, really. Virgil hadn’t been able to sleep, and his brilliant solution was to drink a highly caffeinated beverage. So of course, when Logan awoke around three in the morning to go to the bathroom, he was met with a shivering Virgil standing over his bed, the dimming emergency lights out in the hallway illuminating him in a flickering red halo._

_”Virgil? Why are you awake? What’s going on?”_

_”Shh...follow me,” Virgil whispered, dragging him from his bed and slipping out of the room. “You have to stay with the others. Okay?”_

_”Alright,” Logan agreed easily, still too sleepy and confused to argue. “But what happened? Why did you trigger the-“_

_”Just trust me. Please. You trust me, don’t you?”_

_”Of course.”_

_Virgil smiled sadly at him. “Good.”_

_They met up with Patton and Remus in the living room, who were clinging to each other, eyes darting around wildly, jumping at every shadow._

_”It’s us,” Virgil called when they came into view. “Where’s Dee?”_

_”Here.”_

_”Good. You know what to do." Janus nodded, and Virgil returned his gaze to the others. "Get to Logan's room and don't you dare open the door for anyone. We'll signal when we come back for you. Got it?"_

_There was a crash like splintering wood, followed by a chuckle that reverberated in the air around them, and Virgil spun to face Logan. "Run! Get out of here, lock the door behind you!" he screamed. "Run!"_

_Logan grabbed at Patton and Remus, and together, they took off down the hall. Logan shot one final glance over his shoulder as they fled, catching a final glimpse of Virgil and Deceit, back to back in the living room, wings brushing as they circled warily._

_Logan prayed they'd be able to win. He knew Deceit was capable, but Virgil? He knew, logically, that Virgil could hold his own, but that didn't stop him from being worried._

_He slammed the door to his room shut behind them and sunk down against the floor, sighing. They were safe._

_Kalama was curled up with her sisters on Logan's bed, though she stirred when Logan slumped to the floor. "Are you alright, little star?"_

_Logan nodded wordlessly. "Of course. I just...didn't think he'd be back quite so quickly. I suppose I was hoping for the peace to last longer."_

_"Ah, but it never lasts forever, does it?" Kalama sounded wistful, an ancient sort of grief colouring her tone._

_"No," Logan agreed. "No, I suppose it doesn't."_

_Virgil pulled Dee closer to him, closing his eyes. "Dee, are we sure this is gonna work?"_

_”Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee any of our efforts will pay off, but if it’s any consolation, I do wholeheartedly believe that we can at least hold him off long enough to come up with a better plan should we need to.”_

_Virgil nodded. “Right, great, okay.”_

_Their heads shot up as something by the couch snapped. “Did you see anything?” Dee whispered._

_”No. Did you?”_

_”Not a thing.”_

_There was a screech farther off, not unlike tearing metal, and the Sides froze, hardly daring to so much as blink. “Don’t move a muscle,” Virgil breathed, hand brushing against Dee’s comfortingly._

_It was nearly twenty minutes later that Virgil finally pulled himself to his feet, dragging Dee up with him. “It’s late. What’s the game plan?”_

_Dee sighed. “The best thing we can do for everyone’s sake is get some rest. Mal likely won’t have the strength to get out for another week, maybe longer.”_

_Virgil nodded. “Couch?”_

_Dee grinned. “Couch,” he agreed._

_They fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms._

_Janus awoke to sunlight hitting his face, warming his chilled body and blinding him at the same time. Virgil shuffled a bit, still half asleep, though he was blinking up at Janus fondly. “Morning, little stormcloud.”_

_”Hmmm.”_

_Janus chuckled. “Tired?”_

_Virgil nodded, but pulled away and stretched all the same. “Should get back to the others. We can hole up in Logan’s room again, it’s probably one of the safest places in the mindscape right now.”_

_Janus’s eyes flicked to the window, and he froze, paling. “Virgil. Look.”_

_Virgil raised an eyebrow. “What? What's wrong?” He turned as well, and he was close enough that Janus could feel the exact moment that his breath left him in a rush, shocked._

_The sky outside the window was blood red._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case I was yet again unclear: we hit the prologue, folks, we’re almost done. Well, with one timeline, at least. My partner gave me some _horribly_ lovely ideas for the ending to this.


	16. Chapter Fourteen: Unknown Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey V...I told you you were gonna hate me, and you said you'd never, but we'll see if that's still true when you finish with this chapter. You seemed to really like little Caution, I'm sorry I had to do him dirty like this.

“Anger? Are you back here?”

”Over here, Caution.”

Caution perked up, scurrying through the shadows until he could see a faint outline in the pale moonlight. “Hello again,” he said, smiling up at Anger.

”Hello, little one. Did you tell Janus where you were going?”

”Nope! I waited 'til he was asleep, just like you said to,” Caution stated proudly, puffing up his chest.

”You remember why I told you to do that, don’t you?”

”Yea! Mom doesn’t like you, but I do. So if we wanna be friends, mom can’t know about us hanging out," he recited dutifully.

Aiden nodded. “Very good.”

Caution beamed at him. “You know, you’re not very angry,” he said. “You know, because of what your Traitname is.”

Aiden stiffened almost imperceptibly, reaching over to pat Caution's cheek. “And you’re not very cautious. Hey, can I show you something?”

”Yeah! Is it fun?”

” _Very_ fun,” Anger promised.

(Caution missed the way his eyes flashed when he stood up, gaze turning almost hungry.)

"Why are you older than Thomas?" Caution asked suddenly. "We're 15...well, I'm 7, but Thomas is 15, but you're not. You're taller and stuff."

"Never you mind that," Anger said. "It's just the way I am." He shook his head, looking off into the trees. “Are you ready for an adventure, little one?”

Caution perked up, nodding eagerly. “Yeah!”

“Good. Follow me, then.” Anger glanced back at him. “Don’t be afraid, little one. I’ll protect you.”

 ** _Protect_**. The word rang in Caution’s mind for a moment, but faded before he could really focus on it.

He just nodded, scooting closer to Aiden as the trees closed in around them, blocking the light. Caution felt suddenly sad at the lack of light, as if he’d never see the sun again.

”Keep up, little one. This part of the woods is not to be explored by children. You could get hurt.”

Caution scampered back to Anger’s side, clinging to his sleeve. “Sorry.”

”Don’t be sorry, just be _careful_.”

There was a glow ahead of them in the trees. “Is that where we’re going?” Caution asked, squinting at the orb of light. Aiden didn’t reply, though his grip on Caution’s arm tightened painfully. “Ow, you're hurting me! Hey! Hey, let go!”

Aiden wrenched his arm up, and Caution screamed as the motion sent a burning pain up through his shoulder and neck. “Keep your mouth shut, kid,” he warned, twisting his grip mercilessly. He suddenly ducked down, keeping Caution’s arm bent awkwardly. Their eyes locked, Anger’s gaze colder than before, shining with a crazed sort of delight. “Do you want to know why I don't seem very angry, little one?”

Caution nodded frantically, terrified of what Anger might do if he didn’t respond. Anger’s gaze sharpened, pupils blowing wide and swallowing his iris.

“It’s because I’m not anymore. I’m Malice. The light, right there, it makes you better. Stronger. Together, you and I could have everything! We could take down the Light Sides who would have us stamped down until we no longer exist.”

"That's not what they want!" Caution gasped. "Integrity is my friend!"

" _ **Integrity**_ ," Aiden spat, like the name itself burned him, "is the worst offender. You are _nothing_ to him."

" _That's not **true**!_" Caution wailed. "I want my mom! Let me go, I wanna go home! Lemme go, lemme _go_!"

Aiden jerked his wrist in a quick, clean twist, and Caution screamed as he felt something in his arm snap. His body went limp, something Malice quickly took advantage of, shoving him towards the light, which was now so bright that it burned to look directly at.

Caution screamed again as the pain redoubled, shooting through him in waves. "Mom! Mom, help me, please! Mom! _Mom_! Ple- _ea_ - **ase**!" His screams trailed off into whimpers as his body started to shut down in a last-ditch effort to escape the pain still radiating through his body.

There was a cry of rage, and suddenly the hands holding him against the orb vanished, and he slumped to the ground, gasping unsuccessfully for air.

From the corner of his eye, he just barely made out Janus racing towards him, screaming his name. "Mom...?"

"Oh baby...what happened to you?"

"You...were right," Caution managed to get out. He noticed with a jolt that "Caution" didn't seem to fit him right anymore, like the name was a sweater three sizes too small, suffocating him bit by bit whenever he tried it on. "'M s'ry."

"You don't have to be sorry, baby, just stay awake for me. Can you do that? Caution, sweetheart, can you hear me? Kiddo?"

As he let go of the last tendrils of awareness, the last thing he saw was Dee leaning over him, tears streaming down his cheeks as he pleaded for Caution to stay awake.

Then there was nothing but the blessed silence of unconsciousness.

Integrity was sitting on the couch when Self Preservation fell through the doorway, clutching a small grey-clad body in his arms.

“Is that...Caution?”

”Not anymore. Get Curiosity," he snapped, gently depositing the small body onto the couch.

"What-"

"Integrity, please just get Curiosity," Pres begged, his voice strained. "I don't know how long he has."

Integrity nodded, rushing up the stairs and quickly finding Curiosity's door. "Curiosity! Are you in there? We need your help in the living room, please!"

There was a muffled thump from within the room, and a curse. "I'm busy right now, Integrity!"

Integrity leaned his forehead against the door, closing his eyes. "Caution got hurt. Please. We need you."

The door swung open without warning, and Curiosity caught Integrity as he tumbled inward, indigo wings flaring automatically to keep them both from toppling over. "Where?" he asked, eyes a little wild behind his clunky glasses.

Integrity led the way back to the living room, gesturing at Caution. Self Preservation bent awkwardly over him as he tried to keep his wings against his back, which were spasming as Caution thrashed, crying out in choked, gutteral screams of pain.

Curiosity blanched, wings rustling uneasily. "What happened?" he asked. "There shouldn't be anything that is near dangerous enough to do something like this...Creativity scouted the Imagination yesterday."

"It wasn't a creature from the Imagination," Self Preservation said firmly. "Do you remember how I told you about Aiden?"

Integrity grimaced. "I do. You're saying _he_ did this? Why?"

"Because he's power-hungry, and Caution is young enough that he thought he'd be an easy, willing target. Unfortunately...he was right. Caution has always been far too trusting of the world around him. I fear he won't be if he survives this."

Caution groaned, stirring a bit, and their attention snapped back to him as his eyes fluttered.

"Caution? Can you hear me, kiddo?" Self Preservation asked, gentler than Integrity had ever heard him.

Caution's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Hello?"

"Caution?"

Caution's face twisted in confusion. "My name is Anxiety."

"Anxiety. That's your Traitname now....."

Integrity shuffled forward, about to ask Anxiety if he needed anything, but Anxiety spoke up first. The question had him choking on the words, heart freezing up in his chest.

"I'm sorry, but...do I know you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I....I'll make it up to you later....?


	17. Chapter Fourteen: Three Months Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just Deceit's reaction to Virgil's death in chapter...I wanna say it was chapter seven? Anyways, yeah, feel free to skip, stay safe xx

_“What happened?”_

_Janus shoved his way into the living room, despite Remy's protests. "What happened?" he demanded again, trying to peer around the Figment. "Remy, what's going on? Will Logan or Virgil tell me what happened? Seriously, I'm getting worried."_

_He tensed immediately when he heard Logan start screaming. It didn't even sound like he was saying anything, just releasing a single, raw cry of pure agony and loss. His blood ran cold when he deciphered a bit of the near incoherent words mixed with the shrieking._

_"Vir-please-V-gil!" Then, suddenly louder, "Virgil you can't **DO** this to me, please, no!"_

_"Remy. I need you to let me in there, please."_

_Remy was looking at him pityingly, and Janus hated it. "I can’t do that, babes, I’m sorry.”_

_"Remy, could you-" Patton started to say._

_"Of course." He turned, distracted for just long enough for Janus to slip by him._

_”I don’t want-“_

_Janus didn't catch whatever was said after that. Logan was crumpled on the ground, clutching a familiar slim body to his chest, screaming incoherently and thrashing as Patton tried to pull him away from...from Virgil._

_Janus stumbled backwards, hands starting to shake. “No.”_

_Remy grabbed at a flailing Logan, waving a hand over his face and commanding, “sleep.” Logan slumped, tears still streaming down his face._

_”Oh my god, Virge....” Janus backed up, stumbling over his own feet, too shocked to even scream. “Virgil....”_

_Remy turned, regret washing over his face. “Sorry about this, girl.” He waved his hand over Janus’s face, and he blinked at the sudden wave of exhaustion that engulfed him. “Sleep.” Remy’s voice echoed in his head, and his eyes fluttered shut._

_He jerked awake on the couch with a tiny cry, breaths coming short and sharp, lungs squeezing as he tried to draw in air, but he couldn’t remember whatever dream he’d had that had caused such a reaction. As his breathing leveled out, his eyes closed again._

_”Deedee?” Remus’s voice was rough and low, like he’d been screaming non stop for hours. “Are you awake this time?”_

_”Y-“ He broke off with a couch, grimacing at the dry crackle in his chest. Remus handed him a glass of water and waited while he downed half of it._

_”You okay? What...er, I mean, do you remember anything?” Remus looked hesitant to ask, and something in his face triggered something, his memories flooding back in._

_”Jayjay, let me explain. Listen to me. Virgil is alive. Okay? We got him back. Deedee, look at me, please. You were unconscious for a little over two days, Virgil's had time to recover, but don't do anything too fast. He's a bit flighty, okay?" He could barely hear Remus over the blood rushing through his ears, but he nodded, gaze fixed blankly in front of him.  
_

_"I have to see him....please," he said, pushing himself upright. "Please, Re, I have to...have to...."_

_Remus softened. "I know. Come on, he's on the couch. Probably fell asleep, but...you can. It'll be enough just to see he's alive, right?"_

_Janus nodded, following Remus to Logan's room in a daze. "I just need to see him for myself."_

_"He's a little battered, but he's alive." Remus put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Our Veevee is a fighter. He's gonna be okay."_

_Janus was hardly listening anymore. He'd caught sight of Virgil, curled up on the couch with his wings wrapped around his trembling body like he was trying to shield himself from the world._

_"Virgil," he breathed._

_Virgil looked up, eyes wide. "Dee?"_

_"Logan's been with him, he's been in good hands," Remus quietly informed him as he slipped away.  
_

_"Virgil...my little stormcloud, I...I thought you were...."_

_Virgil smiled sadly. "I know. I'm so sorry, Jan. I didn't mean to worry you."_

_"You were dead...."_

_Virgil huffed a weak laugh. "Yeah, I heard from Logan...last night? Night before? Whichever. I'm so sorry you all had to see that."_

_With a sob, Janus lunged, yanking Virgil into a hug, crying into his shoulder. "You did nothing wrong, baby. Please don't apologize."_

_"I heard Remy had to knock both you and Logan out. Kind of hard to believe, I think you two are the only people he's never had to go all Sandman on, up until now."_

_Janus laughed, the sound a little more genuine than before. "Damn, had to go and make me ruin my track record," he said._

_Virgil grinned. "Oh come on, it's not that bad."_

_"It weird!" Dee protested._

_"Okay, yeah, it kind of is, but it's worse if you resist." He rolled his eyes. "Take that from a firsthand reliant source."_

_Dee pulled Virgil back to his chest. "How did you get away?"_

_Virgil stiffened minutely. "I...don't think I'm ready to talk about it just yet. I'm sorry."_

_"Don't apologize, Virgil. It's up to you when you talk about it, and to whom. It doesn't have to be me. In fact, I get the feeling it won't be."_

_Virgil shook his head. "I'll always tell you everything, mom, don't worry."_

_Janus tugged at the younger's sleeve, directing them towards the couch. Virgil happily followed, curling up against Janus and unfurling his wings._

_"Why do I always end up cuddling on a couch with someone at the end of these scenes?" Virgil grumbled blearily._

_Dee glanced at him. "What?"_

_Virgil just grinned, gazing out past him like he was looking at someone invisible, and winked._

_"Oh, nothing."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone know how to fix a fourth wall break? I have some plaster, will that work?
> 
> Son of a building block this wasn't supposed to be almost 1k words w o w holy chicken nuggets
> 
> This was just gonna be a quick reaction and end at Remy knocking him out, and then...boom, shit happened and I was no longer in control of what happened.


	18. Chapter Fifteen: Unknown Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short tidbit to show some backstory on Janus and Avdima, and a little hint of what's going on with the whole memory thing that Logan mentioned - Janus hadn't manifested and yet they they have distinct memories. Now is the time for some things to be revealed. I've been sitting on this little bit for quite some time, glad I finally get to flesh it out now that I have more content to work with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.......this chapter actually took way longer than planned. So sorry for the gap between my last post, I've been hella busy and just now figured out some shit enough that I felt comfortable continuing this.

Avdima hummed as Janus shuffled closer to his side. "You okay?"

"Cold," Janus mumbled back, pulling his coat closer around himself. "Always cold."

"Side effect of being cold blooded," Avdima returned, though he pulled Janus into a hug, hoping his body heat would help.

The sun was out, but its rays were weak, not doing much to help calm Janus's shivering, even from their vantage point on the snake's self-proclaimed heating rock.

"Will you quit moving so much?" Avdima snapped.

Janus flinched. "Sorry."

No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get angry at you."

Janus chuckled. "It's your Traitname, don't worry about it."

"At least you can stop yourself from speaking in lies all the time," he grumbled bitterly. "It's just...always angry. I'm like the Hulk but with red hair."

"When is Thomas going to die his hair red?" Janus asked curiously. "It was purple when I traveled back."

"He doesn't," Avdima said, a bit harsher than he meant it. "It's just my hair. Like how Caution's has just always been purple."

"He's not Caution anymore, or at least, not by the time Thomas is in his twenties."

Avdima smirked. "Oh, trust me, I know."

"Why do you think we got sent back?"

Avdima shrugged. "It wasn't anything I did. Besides, everything is different, in whatever time in Thomas's life I'm from."

Janus raised his head. "How so?"

Avdima shrugged again. "Just little things. You aren't the same. No scales. And Paranoia is constantly on edge."

Janus stiffened. "Paranoia?"

"He's in my timeline. Not yours, I'm guessing?"

"No," Janus affirmed. "Definitely not."

Avdima huffed. "The Mindscape sent us back for a reason. Maybe we have a chance to fix things. You died and I was locked up. If we can change this, then we can make it so they...."

Janus hummed. "Maybe. But it seems the fabric of reality between our world's is too thin to risk messing with history," he responded.

Avdima snorted, shifting away. "Do you really believe that? If that's what we're doing, who's timeline do we follow? Yours or mine? You aren't even completely real at this point in Thomas's life."

"But I will be."

"Does this make any sense to you? At all? Because I'm lost on how our timelines even overlap. And I'm sure the readers are just as confused as I am."

"Can you people quit breaking the wall? It's hard to patch, for fuck's sake, I'm running out of plaster," Janus grumbled. "But...no, it doesn't make sense. But I understand what's happening. Our timeliness don't overlap at all, but we were somehow transported here, back in time. Nothing much so far has lined up with what happened with my Thomas at this age. Anything for you?"

Janus shook his head. "Not a single thing. Well, Caution still hisses, but I'm kind of glad that stayed the same. I'd miss it. But you don't exist where I'm from."

Avdima shoved himself into an upright position, folding his legs under him. "At least we have someone to talk about this shit with now, right? Dunno about you, but I'd go mental without someone who understood. This whole situation is fucking weird. In my timeline you've been dead for so long Thomas doesn't even know you ever existed."

Janus frowned. "How did I die?"

"There was a fire. You managed to get everyone out but yourself," Avdima answered tersely.

There was a pause as Janus tried to process. "Oh."

Avdima shifted uncomfortably. "I tried to help you. But you were already too far gone by the time I found you. I...you died. Right in front of me."

"Avi, I'm so sorry you had to see that."

Avdima shrugged, though a shadow of anger and regret flickered across his face, so quickly Demetrius wouldn't have caught it if he hadn't been looking at him. "It's in the past. Or, well." He paused, smirking. "I guess in the future, now, huh? I have another chance."

Janus couldn't help but laugh a little, which pulled a reluctant grin from Avdima.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat. You hungry?"

Avdima got to his feet, helping Demetrius up as well. "Yeah, I could go for some food."

Dee grinned. "Patton makes the _best_ spaghetti."

Shrugging off the lingering tug in the back of his mind, Avdima followed Janus back towards the mindscape, turning at the last second and winking at the small boy lurking behind the tree, staring after him. With a squeak, the boy disappeared, and Avdima huffed a laugh, jogging to catch up with Janus before he noticed Avdima was no longer following behind him.

Well...even if he was an idiot, (and he said that affectionately) Janus was right about one thing: Patton's spaghetti _**was**_ pretty good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 786


	19. Chapter Sixteen: Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, uhhhhh, this is terrible. But we're so close to the end of this fic that I really don't know how to keep this thing going. I'm running out of fuel on this and I should take a longer hiatus than I did, but...I'm back? I guess? Going to finish this even if it kills me. No sleep for me tonight!!
> 
> Fun fact: I had four bloody noses, a panic attack, and a migraine over the course of writing this chapter. Must be a sign.
> 
> Also, V, I know I said ten minutes, but then I had a test for school and I ran off to do that and forgot about actually posting. So here's your chapter that I promised you lol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so...short. Are you guys as disappointed in this as I am? Cuz...you should be. Lmao not really sure why I kept this going.
> 
> That's a lie. It's because V is amazing and I would die for them. They liked this so much that I couldn't bear to let them down and not update this; and then they were inspiring me left and right, so I couldn't really just stop writing this after all that, y'know? I owe it to V and to myself to finish this fanfic. So. Here we go. Home stretch here we come!

"Mal! Show yourself, you fucking coward!" Virgil yelled, standing firmly in the middle of the mindscape living room. "I know you can hear me, come out here and face me in a fair fucking fight!"

"Oh _Virgie_ , what a _wonderful_ surprise," Malice sneered. ""Challenging me a _duel_ , are you?"

Virgil snarled. "Do you accept?"

Malice laughed. "Of course. Who am I to back down from a challenge? Don't expect me to go easy on you because you're a child."

"I'm not a little kid, anymore, Avi."

If Malice was thrown off by the use of Anger's nickname, he didn't show it, just summoned his sword and swung it lazily through the air. He stalked forward inch by inch, eyes locked onto Virgil's in a silent, bloodless battle for dominance. Both refused to be the first to look away. "So, did you figure it out yet?" Malice asked, eyes narrowing as Virgil steadied himself, pulling his power to the surface, lips twitching into an almost smile as he felt the steady thrum of energy in his fingertips.

Virgil backed up as the sharp point of the sword jabbed at his chest teasingly. "Which part?" he asked. "Where you're from or who you really are?"

Malice shrugged. "Either one. Or both, if you think you're clever enough."

Virgil gritted his teeth as Malice backed him up to the stairs, still casually swinging his sword in a loop too fast for Virgil to follow. Mal was _toying_ with him. "Alright," he gasped, ducking under the blade and throwing out his hands, tripping Malice up on a shadow. "Where you're from, then. We'll start with that one."

Mal lowered his blade and raised an eyebrow. "Really? A bold one to start with, Virgie."

"Don't fucking call me that!" Virgil hissed. "You're not from our world, are you? You're still a Side of Thomas, but...not here. Something happened." He was grasping at straws trying to explain it, but the moment he saw Malice's expression change from smug to shocked, he knew he'd hit the nail on the head.

"Magic exists there just as it does here, Virgie," he said, instead of replying directly. "You and I...we achieved great things. If you had allowed the light to take you further, just think of what you could have become! Trapped in a pathetic body like that, isn't it boring? Think of the power you could wield if you just came with me and accepted that you are a pawn in a much larger game of chess. See _reason_ , Paranoia, _please_ , we could do so much together."

Virgil paused, lowering his hand. "I...."

Malice, sensing his hesitation, stepped forward, eyes glinting with triumph. "That's right. Just...let me help you. You're lost. I can help you find your way again."

Virgil leaned into him as Malice drew him into his arms. "What about the others?" he asked softly.

"Don't worry about them. Just accept your fate."

Virgil nodded, relaxing. Malice's sword dissolved, and he wrapped his arms around Virgil's shaking frame. In a flash, Virgil had thrown him down, pinning him with his own body. "Game over, asshole." He grinned, closing his eyes and slamming against the mental barrier between him and Avdima's mind. it fell open with an invisible shock wave, releasing memories so vivid and emotions so strong that Virgil had to brace himself to keep from collapsing onto Malice's chest.

"Avi... _where are you?_ "

"No!" Malice snarled, throwing himself to the side in an effort to get out of Virgil's grip, to no avail.

Virgil felt deeper into the mindscape, finding the door of the cage, and _yanked_ as hard as he could.

He launched himself back, trying to get clear, but Malice grabbed hold of his wrist, pulling him closer. "If I go, I'm pulling you down with me, _Caution_."

Virgil gasped as the name set off a flood of warning bells in his head. Before he could try to latch onto some o the information overloading him and make sense of it, Malice pulled them backwards, falling into the portal Virgil had made. They fell into the cage in a heap, and as it slammed shut, portal closing behind them, Virgil felt the cage's suffocating aura immediately attack him with a screech, suppressing him until it was a battle just to stay conscious. Malice was still standing, but not for long by the look on his face.

 _Caution?_ The name sparked nearly half a dozen more. _Anger, Integrity, Chaos, Curiosity, Creativity...and...him. Caution._

Virgil could have sworn he saw a glint of pain in Malice's eyes before he fell onto his side, energy leaving him as the cage sapped at his core, draining him until he was too exhausted to stay awake. Malice's face was the last thing he saw, leaning over him with something almost like concern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 804  
> dammit so short akhvbiqbviqbe


	20. Chapter Seventeen: Unknown Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of that one chapter where Malice turns Caution into Anxiety and he forgets the other Sides. (V, before you start flipping out, heed the tags: _temporary_ amnesia.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably just a little chapter again because I _really_ wanna get back to the "present" chapter because it'll be the last "present" and the last chapter of this fic in general and I want it to be ready on time instead of having to make you guys wait another billion years for the finale. I'll be happy if we can hit 400 words on this chapter, though.

"I'm sorry, but...do I know you?"

The side in the yellowish grey shirt let out a little cry, pulling Anxiety into his chest. He didn't fight the embrace, just sort of sat stiffly and let himself be hugged as the Side sobbed into his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he finally asked, awkwardly patting the crying Side on the back, eyes darting over to the other Side (Sides?) standing by the door. The one in the thicker glasses looked completely bewildered.

"I...yes," the Side hugging him managed to get our, pulling away from the boy.

Anxiety's fingers reflexively curled around his shoulders to keep him close, and he quickly released him, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Please don't be sorry," the Side shot back, so quickly that it seemed like an almost automatic response, like they'd had that argument before a million times.

Anxiety wanted to say that his name started with a J...? James? Jacob (ew definitely not)? Jonathan…? No, none of those were exactly right..

”J...Janus...?” he tried. The Side smiled, though tears still ran down their cheeks.

”Yes. Yes, that's me.”

He nodded, turning his attention to the Sides at the door. He pointed at the one in the nerdy glasses. “Integrity? No.... Curiosity. And _you_ -“ He pointed at the Side in the round wire-frame glasses. “are Integrity.”

They both nodded, Curiosity's wings tucking up tight to his back. Integrity...didn't have his out, but Anxiety remembered them. They were a light blue, maybe with a bit of a gray hue to them. Pretty. Soothing. Anxiety missed them for some reason. "Can...can I see your wings, please?" he asked shyly.

Integrity nodded, moving closer and snapping them into existence. Anxiety reached for them, and Integrity instantly complied, turning so he could run his fingers through the soft gray down at the base of the Side's wings. "You love playing with our feathers," Integrity murmured. "Especially movie nights. You sit for hours and comb through our wings."

"I remember," Anxiety whispered. "It's blurry, but I remember."

Integrity smiled at him, shuffling his wings a bit. "Do you...remember anything else?"

 _A flash of pain, his own voice screaming at someone to let go of him, **mom** , more pain, red hair with the brown roots starting to show through, kind eyes that didn't match, and a low voice singing a lullaby._ "A lot," he finally admitted.

Janus leaned against him, his wings coming up to sort of...hover over them, like a shield. He looked up at the Side, stifling a yawn. "Can I take a nap?"

Jan (the nickname felt like it fit better, even just as a thought and not a word in his mouth) smiled at him, shuffling him up onto his lap and running his fingers through his hair in a soothing motion. "Of course, baby. Rest."

He snuggled up to the Side, eyes falling closed. He hummed contentedly, and heard Integrity coo in the background.

Oh, he's so cute when he's sleeping."

"When he finally sleeps."

Integrity laughs. "I'm going to bake some cookies."

"You know how to make _cookies_?" a new voice asked.

Their voices blend together into a soothing harmony until Anxiety finally drifts off, secure in Janus's embrace.

"Is he asleep?" Curiosity asked, inching over to sit down on the floor by the edge of the sofa.

"Yes."

"Good. Rest will help him recover quicker. Will he be alright? Is he going to ever fully recover his memories, do you think?”

Deceit looked away. “I wish I knew.”

Curiosity returned his piercing gaze to the Side asleep on the couch. ”We’ll just wait and see, then.”

“It’s all we can do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, made it past 400 words. I can now nap in peace...lol that's a lie, I have another chapter to write. I'm supposed to be resting my hands but I have i d e a s.
> 
> Low key need to stop ending things (even between POV changes) with Virgil taking a nap with Dee on a couch sbfkjbsk but having a character fall asleep is so much easier for ending a chapter than trying to think of some clever way to wrap the dialogue up. Especially because this fic is told from such specific viewpoints.


	21. Chapter Eighteen: Unknown Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lol I low key forgot to post this like forever ago so have some angsty Anger/Malice backstory real quick before I move on to rounding up things for the ending.
> 
> This chapter is set just barely pre-time travel, so it's in a completely different universe for the first bit. Dee is a Side here, not a dragon, and his function is labelled as "prevarication" instead of Deceit.
> 
> This was also supposed to be switched places with the previous chapter but then formatting got messed up and I posted the other chapter first by accident. Fortunately - nonlinear fic so it doesn’t really matter much anyways!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just because I have no idea how I would write it: Mal impersonating Roman was gradual, so they have no idea how long he was actually in that form. Like, they just started seeing glimpses of him after Roman's initial "death" and it escalated from there.

Anger peered around the trunk of the tree, grinning playfully as he glanced around for Paranoia. "Para?" he called when he realized his friend was no longer in the clearing. He stepped out from behind the tree, panic rising in his chest. "Para!?"

"A? What happened?"

Anger whirled, immediately spotting Paranoia ducking under a bush. "What's up?" he asked. "Did something happen? Are you hurt?"

”I’m okay, calm down. Just got turned around back at the stream. I’m back now, don’t worry.”

Someone crashed through the bushes to their left, and they squeaked in surprise as Logic stumbled out, gasping, clutching a stitch in his side.

”There’s a fire,” Logic ground out, trying to push his glasses back up his nose. “At the lab.Your friend is still trapped inside the building.”

Anger and Paranoia exchanged glances and took off after Logic, who led the way back to the laboratory. It was nearly obscured by the cloud of black smoke pouring from the open front doors.

Paranoia bolted, screaming Dee’s name, and Logic grabbed him as he made to follow, both of them too slow to pull Paranoia back before he disappeared into the collapsing flames.

”PARA!” He whirled to face the other Sides. “We have to help him! Please, he’s just a child! Help him, please!”

Morality just gazed sadly at the burning remains of the building. “I’m sorry, kiddo. It’s too late to do anything.”

”Paranoia and Prevarication are still in there!” he screamed, but Morality was already turning away, tugging Logic with him. The Sides never even looked back.

Screaming, Anger turned and ran for the house, throwing an arm up to cover his nose and mouth as the thick smoke immediately surrounded him.

”Dee! Can you hear me?” he called. Someone coughed close by, and he dropped to his knees below the smoke, squinting through the haze. “Dee? Is that you?”

“A?” Paranoia called, voice thick with smoke and grief. Dee lay next to him, both of them barely conscious.

”Demetrius,” Anger breathed, stumbling over to the fallen Side and pulling him onto his lap. “We have to get you both out of here!” He tugged Paranoia up against his side, wrapping an arm firmly around the smaller Side’s shoulders and trying to get a grip on them so he could pick them up. “Can either of you walk?”

Dee smiled up at him, choking on a cough. “No time for it. You’d never make it dragging us. Do us proud, A. We love you.”

”No! No, you have to be there with me. That was the plan, remember? We haven’t perfected it yet! Please, wake up! Dee! Demetrius! Paranoia!”

They didn’t move, though Anger shook Paranoia with more and more frantic intensity the longer he lay motionless.

Wailing brokenly, Anger fled, away from Dee and Para, away from the burning house, out into the woods. He stumbled through the undergrowth until he was too tired to move, stumbling over a root and falling to the ground at the edge of a clearing.

A flicker of light just above him caught his attention, and he turned his tear stained face upwards wearily, wincing as the orb of light hovering just over his head immediately blinded him.

He pushed himself back experimentally and the orb followed, slow and smooth, gliding through the air.

Anger reached out, slowly, his upturned palm brushing against the surface of the orb, and his world exploded into mind numbing pain.

The light seeped into his brain, though his eyes were closed, and he tried to pull away, wincing. The light burned brighter, and he thrashed, screaming as he tried to twist away from the pain.

There was a whoosh, like a fire igniting, and then the orb was gone, leaving just the burning sensation behind, crackling through his veins.

Anger shoved himself upright, brushing off his clothes and trying to get his bearings. Someone was laughing not far from him, and they sounded young. The laughter was accompanied by another voice yelling incoherently.

Anger...Malice. The name felt much better, much more familiar somehow. He had shed his old name like water on feathers.

He got slowly to his feet, angling them instinctively in the direction of the laughter.

He was going to make them pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhh if you see typos tell me plz I didn't go over this one because it was late when I finished it
> 
> Edit: this now has a series, so if you're interested, there are a couple other fics that will be added. One companion piece in the works as a sort of fluffy happily ever after sequel (because I promised my partner that there'd be a happy ending) and I have a one shot collection started of the fluff outtakes that didn't make it into the main book.


	22. Chapter Nineteen: Unknown Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I lied there's more before the finale you guys have to wait for the fluff. This is much longer than planned. Like, the amount of chapters before the ending will be posted. And I just now realized something that should have been obvious to me already: we've surpassed 20 chapters overall. Guys. What the heck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is there anything else you guys want more coverage on before the ending? Maybe something I didn't go over very well or just that you think I could stand to give more detail on before I wrap this up?
> 
> I know this entire thing seems random sometimes, but you gotta remember that there are at the very least three intersecting timelines in this. It's gonna get a bit wacky.

The child reminded Malice of Paranoia when they had been kids. It was painful to even look at him, but a plan hatched the longer he observed the other Sides. If he could bring the kid to the orb that seemed to serve as this place's entrance to the portal, then he could help him achieve his potential. He could help him become something better. He could bring his friend back.

There were two problems, however.

One, was that _apparently_ , there was another entity here that he had taken the place of, and aforementioned entity was now a constant presence in the back of his mind. Whispering at him, warning him to stay away from his friends.

Malice instinctually knew that this 'Avdima' was another time traveller, albeit younger than Malice and of a completely different Traitname, though he seemed to have filled a role not previously taken by anything else, and had found a way to stay permanently. Interesting.

The second problem was that the little Side he'd zeroed in on wasn't even close to Paranoia. He was just Caution, a newer Side that was quickly settling into his role and had become fast friends with Janus.

Well. He wasn't picky, and he supposed that even something as tame as Caution was something Malice could learn to work with, given enough time.

Now for the hard part: getting closer to the boy.

Janus complicated everything, and seemed to be accidentally foiling his plans at every turn. Whenever he tried to get closer to the Side so that he could gain better access to the child, Avdima would manage to somehow shove through and undermine all of Malice's attempts to get information and gain trust.

Avdima and Janus were very close, that much was clear. Malice couldn't tell if they came from the same timeline, though they never gave any indication of it if they did. Perhaps Avdima had been there longer than he originally suspected.

The only sub-problem (was that a thing?) about that specific problem was that anything out of character from Malice would no doubt draw immediate attention, and he wasn't such a fool as to persuade himself that there would be other opportunities to sabotage the others.

If he could get Avdima (a name with a strangely dark meaning for such a tame, kind soul) to somehow cooperate with him or just lock him away if he wouldn't, then he'd have a clear path to control. But unfortunately, Avdima was bound and determined to save the foolish Sides. He'd found acceptance and love, comfort in their company, and he didn't seem keen to give it up anytime soon.

He'd have to bide his time and find an opening. The Imagination seemed the perfect place to start. Reality was so easily manipulated there, and if he could destroy it, he knew that Creativity and Chaos wouldn't have their main sources of power. Without those, they would fade away, regardless of whether or not Thomas needed them.

He briefly wondered how his Thomas was doing. It was strange being a part of a Thomas that was not his own. He knew the feeling of Thomas's mind, and though this was only ever so slightly different, it was enough to make him feel like he'd been misplaced. It was comparable to being a box of Ritz crackers next to a whole row of off brand crackers. Still generally the same, but subtle differences made the off brand just different enough that it stood out.

And now he was comparing things to food. Did they need to eat here? His stomach growled right on cue, and Malice rolled his eyes. That answered that question.

Now to get food without being noticed. He could sneak around easier in someone else's form.

His eyes landed on Creativity, playing by the edge of the field.

Easy target.

Impersonating Roman had been fun. The others hadn't noticed, though Curiosity had given him a confused sideways glance when he'd first walked into the kitchen.

A fun game. He resolved to do it again. Roman was an easy Side to act as, he was such an airhead that it didn't take a genius to imitate his behaviours and mannerisms.

Maybe he'd try Curiosity or Integrity next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hang tight for the next two, three, maybe four chapters, and this will be over. Unless I get some weird ass inspiration and keep going beyond that. It could happen.


	23. Chapter Twenty: Unknown Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a teeny thing I wrote a while ago about Avdima that I forgot about so have this since I don't know what else to post. I have no other updates sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V I keep doing this right as you're gearing up to start reading again and I swear this wasn't intentional but here I am
> 
> Yes Ambition is Avdima

Ambition skipped backwards, laughing as Curiosity missed him by mere inches, hair flopping into his face as he turned to lunge again. "Too slow, too slow," Ambition teased, sticking out his tongue childishly.

Curiousity tossed his head to get his hair out of his eyes. The motion dislodged his glasses, and he shoved them back up his nose, crossing his eyes as he tried to glare at the plastic frames. "We'll see about that."

Ambition yelped as Curiousity tackled him to the ground, pinning him surprisingly well, and he wailed dramatically, allowing himself to be held captive. "I'm no match, whatever shall I do? I have been besteded!"

Curiosity giggled, pushing his glasses up again. "Silly. And it's just bested."

"Be careful, boys," Janus called over to them, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"We are," they chorused.

Janusnarrowed his eyes at them, but nodded. "Okay. Are you going to go swimming again, or can I put the towels back in the house?"

The boys exchanged glances, and after a quick silent conversation, Curiosity turned back to Dee and called, "you can put them in the house. Thank you."

"Alright. I'm going to help Integrity make dinner. You boys play nice, and stay out of trouble!"

Ambition rolled his eyes. "We know. You only tell us every day."

"The stasinstical..." Curiosity made a face and tried the pronunciation again, slower. "The statistical likelihood of someone popping out of nowhere with the intention of killing or otherwise harming us is low. We are inside someone's mind, and as such, are mostly imaginary."

"Don't be so morbid, _Cheerio_ , Jesus."

"Don't call me Cheerio, you know I hate that."

Dee smiled at them as they began to bicker back and forth. They were so young and small, still learning to navigate their own world, much less another.

He prayed that when the time came, he'd be able to protect them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 294
> 
> Next chapter is a cute little thing on why Avdima called Logan "Cheerio" in case anyone thought that was weird and random and didn't make any sense.


	24. Chapter Twenty One: Unknown Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story behind why Avdima called Logan "cheerio" last chapter. Because it's cute. And after all of the angst even _I'm_ starved for some fluff.
> 
> Logan and Avdima are just so cute dammit I hate myself for ever hurting them later why did I make this such a sad story ohmystars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been listening to "Other Friends" (SU) and "The Reynolds Pamphlet" (Hamilton) on a loop for like three hours someone take my phone please.
> 
> oh shit V I told you I was gonna post this right like this is the second thing today you have so much to catch up on dhdjjdjdjd

"What are you eating?" Ambition asked, skipping over to the table and plopping into a seat next to Curiosity. "They look like little soggy donuts."

"They're Cheerios," Curiosity replied. "And they don't taste like donuts. They're gross."

"Then why are you eating them?" Ambition asked, crinkling his nose at the cereal in the chipped bowl.

"They're healthy."

"There are other healthy breakfasts, dummy," Ambition said, flicking his friend on the end of his nose. "Like toast and jam and eggs. That's what Thomas's mom makes him on weekends."

"She also makes him pancakes and allows him to eat pie before dinner."

"Only sometimes though," Ambition replied, shrugging. "She makes him eat cereal with milk on school days. Weekends are special. We get to watch movies on weekends."

"Thomas's mom lets him watch movies after school too. He just has to finish his maths homework first," Curiosity reminded him.

He dropped his spoon listlessly back into his bowl, and a single Cheerio, propelled on the resulting swell of milk, flipped out of the bowl and landed perfectly on Curiosity's nose, sticking there resolutely.

Ambition cackled. "Your new nickname is Cheerio," he snorted.

"Don't you dare," Curiosity growled.

Ambition smirked, opening his mouth teasingly.

"Hoe, don't do it," Curiosity warned.

"......Cheerio."

"Oh my god."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 212
> 
> The more I look back through this the more I ship Avdima and Janus. (Lowkey took out the Dukeceit tag because it was supposed to be one of the endgame ships and I just don't see it happening with how this story is playing out now sorry guys)
> 
> Edit:I originally had Janus's name as "Demetrius" (this was started before the name reveal) so lmk if you see a slip up, I went back and changed it.
> 
> xx Asher


	25. Chapter Twenty Two: Present (Aftermath/Epilogue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it! I want to give a huge thank you to my friend V for supporting me through this journey. I don't think I've ever had the motivation to write a fic this long, much less finish a fic over three chapters long. Thank you so, so much for keeping me going and letting me bounce ideas off of you for this, as well as for other writing projects!
> 
> You and your support have helped me so much. You're the reason this was continued, and now you're the reason it's come to a place where I can say I've successfully completed this story line. Again, thank you so much for sticking with me on this.
> 
> I'm sad to see it coming to an end, but I've put so much work into this fic the past few...months? Has it been that long? That I think I'm happy with how it turned out, in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes, the final chapter - one that I hate but V will probably somehow manage to love because they apparently are blind to how terrible this fic has become??? except i really like how this chapter ended?? idk.
> 
> also is "doorframe" not one word because my computer if refusing to recognize it as one
> 
> I'm gonna somehow hit 1k on this one, I promise...oh heck yes!! *fist pump* Let's gooooooooo!

Malice ( ~~Avdima Anger Ambition Impulsivity~~ ) paced back and forth across the small space between the walls, wringing his hands anxiously ( _ha_ ) as he waited for Virgil to wake up. The younger Side looked much more vulnerable when he was unconscious. His eye shadow was a bit smeared, but his body had lost the sort of constant tense, worried strain it usually held. He almost looked like Caution again, though ~~Avdima~~ Malice wiped the thought from his mind before he could indulge in it.

His Caution, his Paranoia, was long dead. Caution didn't exist in this timeline any more than he now existed in Malice's. They had experimented with darker magic than he could handle, and it had gotten the people closest to him killed. Even the fire that took them from him could have been prevented. Magic was easier here, though, he had more control over himself. They never should have been looking into time travel.

Avdima shoved against the cage in the back of his mind again, and Malice angrily pushed his influence away. There wasn't time for distractions. He had to wait for Virgil to awaken, and he had to make him pay. It was difficult when Avdima kept struggling against him, but he was going to make it work. Somehow. If he could get out of the cage that Virgil had so foolishly contained him in again, he could take Virgil out easily, and move on to the rest of the Sides.

They had done nothing but undermine him in his own world - why would they be any different here? They seemed kind, but they'd tear you down with their actions, what was left unspoken, rather than directly. They would accidentally forget to tell you about movie night, destroy something important to you, lock down the mindscape before going to talk to Thomas and trap you in your room. Their inaction when Paranoia had been killed was something Malice could never forgive.

 _But you can try_ , Avdima whispered faintly. _It's not too late. You can still stop this. Please._

Malice scoffed. "You think I can go back? After everything I've done here? You think I can take back what I've done to them?" He crouched, laughing manically. "They may be different, but there's no hope for me anymore. I'm a long lost cause, Avdima."

Avdima didn't reply, his presence subsiding again, and Malice settled back against the wall of the cage, fighting against his exhaustion.

"Avi?" Virgil mumbled, stirring a bit from his position on the floor. The moment he awoke, his face scrunched up in pain, and Malice tamped down the ache of guilt that flashed through his chest when Avdima noticed. The emotion was not his, and he would not let it cloud his judgement.

"Where..." Virgil's eyes fluttered open. "Avi."

Malice grimaced. "Don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"That's not who I am, Virgie. Surprised you haven't figured it out, since you know I'm not from here."

"I'm not stupid," Virgil snapped. "I can feel his presence. You have him pressed down so far it's barely there, but I can feel him. What did you do to him, you asshole?"

Avdima shoved through, just for moment. "Virgil, I-"

Malice threw him back with a snarl. " ** _No_.**"

"Avi!"

Malice stalked up to Virgil, shoving him against the side of the cage and thrusting an arm against his windpipe, crushing it mercilessly. "Shut up, Virgie," he sang. "You don’t want to end up like your little friend Avdima, do you?"

Virgil made a tiny choked off noise, the hands scrabbling at Malice's arm quickly weakening. "A-...vi."

Avdima roared, slamming himself against the barrier between their minds. _I won't let you hurt him!_

"It isn't your choice!" Malice screaming. "Shut up! Just shut up!"

Virgil broke free from his grasp, gasping for air. Still doubled over, Virgil threw his body forward, shoving him back and pinning him, pressing his left hand to his forehead, glowing with black energy. Malice's eyes widened. "Virgil, you...you wouldn't do that to me...would you? Virgil?" He tried to channel Avdima into his words, softening his gaze and widening his eyes, allowing Avdima's terror to seep into his expression. "Virgil, please...it's me, please, I...I don't want to die. Virgil! Virgil, _please_ , don't do this to me!"

He could feel Avdima struggled against his bonds, screaming at Virgil to keep going, but Virgil hesitated, the pain in his eyes clear as day. "I...Avi, I'm so sorry," he whispered, and before Malice could even think to struggle, Virgil closed his eyes and a wounded cry ripped from his throat, throwing all his energy into the outlet from his hand. Malice screamed as he felt his body collapsing in on itself. "I'm sorry," Virgil repeated.

"Why?" Malice tried to ask, but his voice was gone.

_"I'm so, so sorry."_

Virgil sat back on his heels as the last of his magic dissipated, leaving nothing but a few wisps of black energy, coiling through the air. The cage was collapsing as well, unable to hold up against the blast of pure destructive energy. He burst free, rising up in the middle of the mindscape and collapsing onto the floor in a haze of grief and shock. "Avi," he whispered, bringing his shaking fingers up to his chest and wrapping his arms around himself in a makeshift hug. "Avi...."

There was a crash, and then arms were wrapping around him, and someone was sobbing into his ear. "Virgil....oh my god, you're _alive_....”

”Holy shit,” Remus whispered. “Virge, there was some kind of energy blast or something and then out of fucking nowhere Jayjay starts acting all weird and he started babbling about someone else replacing him, and some shit about a dragon? Where’s Mal?”

Virgil lifted his head (why was it so heavy? What had happened?) and met Logan's panicked gaze. The logical Side's eyes were wide and sad, filled with unshed tears. Janus was on his other side, both of them clinging to him like they were never planning on letting go. "I told you," he whispered, and Dee laughed a little.

"You did," he agreed. "Thank you."

Virgil chuckled despite himself when he saw Remus and Patton standing side by side a few feet from him.

"Going to join the group hug?" he asked hoarsely, and the two remaining Sides broke into a sprint, sliding onto the floor and slamming into the rest of them, toppling them all again. They all ended up in one big pile, giggling helplessly at the sheer shock of being together again.

"Got room for two more in there?" someone asked, and Virgil froze. The rest of the Sides pulled back as well, and then Remus shrieked.

_**"Roman!"** _

Roman laughed, holding his arms out and just barely managing to fumblingly catch his brother as he flew through the air and slammed into him, sending them both to the floor in an ungraceful tumble. Remus clung to him, whispering his name over and over, hiccuping through his sobs as he ran his hands through Roman's hair, as if trying to memorize the feeling of his brother's presence again.

Janus rose slowly, disentangling himself from the pile and taking an aborted step towards the figure leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets and hair falling into his eyes. "Avi?"

Avdima grinned, tugging on the ends of his orange sweater. "Hey, Jan."

"Avi," Janus repeated, taking another step forward before flinging himself at the other Side. "Holy _shit_ , how are you alive?"

Avdima chuckled. “It’s a long story.” His eyes flicked up. “Hey, Stormcloud. Thank you.”

Virgil dipped his head. "Glad you didn't evaporate."

Avdima laughed, eyes sparkling. "Yeah, me too. Sounds like it would've sucked a bit."

"Are we interrupting something?" Kalama asked uncertainly, backing away almost nervously. "I apologize, I heard voices and wanted to make sure you all were safe."

"Kala," Janus whispered, tears springing to his eyes again. "I missed you."

Kalama swallowed heavily. "Janus? What-?"

"I remember," he laughed. "I remember everything."

Kalama glared suspiciously at him, as if she didn't quite believe him, though she stepped back into the room. "Everything?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"Everything," he confirmed. "I'm so sorry, Kala."

"Emmy?" Remy croaked, stumbling into the living room and staring at someone just over Virgil's shoulder. He turned, breath catching at the sight of the shorter Figment standing at the window.

He turned at the sound of his name. "Remy? Oh my god." He dropped his notebook, sprinting across the room to meet Remy halfway, throwing his arms around his boyfriend and sobbing into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Rem. It was all falling apart and then it was dark and I couldn't see anything, and I thought it was going to last forever. Are you okay?"

"You died!" Remy screeched. "You died, and you're asking _me_ if _I'm_ okay? I...are _**you**_ okay??"

Emile laughed. "I'm okay, love. I'm right here."

Remy's face crumpled, and he swept Emile up into his arms. Emile hooked his legs around Remy's waist, gently pressing kisses all over his face.

"I missed you," Remy whispered. "I missed you so much."

"Oh, love. I'm so sorry. Did you get out in time?"

"Yeah. I...I should have gone back for you."

"No," Emile chastised, suddenly firm. "No, don't say that. Don't ever say that. I'm glad you got out. What if there had been no way to get back?"

"Then I would have found a way to see you again. Whatever the cost."

"Oh, Rem." Emile hooked his chin over his boyfriend's shoulder and waved at Patton. "Is everyone okay?"

Patton glanced around at them, scrubbing the last of his tears from his face. "Virgil, Logan, Roman, Remus, Dee, you, Avdima, Remy...Kalama, Emilia, Adara...where are-?"

"Kai and Elliot are asleep," Kalama supplied quickly as she noted Patton's rising panic as he glanced around. "And October and September are playing on that weird electronic thing. The one that hums nonstop."

"I think it's called an Xbox," Adara said. "And you're right about the humming, it's quite annoying."

"Oh, come join the cuddle," Janus snorted. "Come on."

Hesitantly, the sisters complied, inching into the group pile and worming their way in.

"Oh," Adara said in surprise. "This is...actually quite nice."

"I could get used to this," Emilia agreed. "I don't get much screen time, so might as well make the most of this cuddle."

"If one more entity breaks the wall, I will personally burn all of Roman's curtains," Janus snarled, though it held no heat.

"Why my curtains?" Roman demanded. "I didn't break a wall!"

"Never you mind. No burning."

"I'm supposed to be the pyromaniac here anyways," Remus mumbled, snuggling closer to his brother. He hadn't let go of him since he'd appeared in the doorway, and obviously wasn't letting him out of his sight anytime in the near future.

"This is nice," Emile hummed. "Besides the pyromania."

Virgil laughed, shocking himself with how loud the sound seemed in the sudden silence of the room. "Yeah. This is nice."

"We're home," Patton said through his tears, laughing a little hysterically. "We're _home_ ," he gasped again, flopping back and throwing back his head to laugh again, bold and unrestrained in a way none of them had allowed themselves to be in a long time.

Virgil didn't have to ask what he meant, just leaned back against Avdima and closed his eyes.

"Yeah," he agreed, smiling as he felt Avdima's arms curl around him. "We're home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I tell you I cried writing Roman and Remus reuniting.....
> 
> Okay! So, on a final note, if anyone wants more info on what the heck Malice and Paranoia and all those folks were doing back in their timeline with the whole "dark magic" "time travel" thing I have a fic partially drafted up, probably just two or three chapters, to explain all that.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I know that most of you (V excluded) probably recognize this for how cringy it is so thanks for staying XD


	26. Post-Fic Author's Note/Update/Thank You

This is just a super quick update: thank you all so much for reading this!! The series is underway (I think I have one more fic posted here for now, and more planned out) and I'm thinking I'm going to go back and fix up a few things. Typos, awkward sentences, bits of missing info and just places where things don't quite add up for one reason or another. Re-reading is not required, there won't be any major changes needed.

Thank again, you guys leaving comments makes my day (and kudos) and just the sheer amount off people reading this iss blowing my mind. Love you guys!!

xx Asher


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